


Vibranium Hearts

by LokasennaHiddleston



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Loki, BAMF T'Challa, BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes Feels, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Civil War Team Iron Man, Fix-It, Gen, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective T'Challa, Rare Pairings, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 23:45:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 51,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6775075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokasennaHiddleston/pseuds/LokasennaHiddleston
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark only wanted to make things right. He only wanted to protect the Avengers from the Accords, from Ross's meddling. It didn't work. Nothing ever does. Once again, he's failed, and now he is alone.<br/>Except... He isn't. And the young king of Wakanda might just be exactly what Tony needs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tony Stark Has a Heart

**Author's Note:**

> So, this happened. Don't ask how it did. I'd kind of meant for it to be Steve/Tony originally, but T'Challa hijacked it. Blame him, because let's face it, he was awesome.  
> I tried to keep spoilers from the summary, just in case someone who hasn't seen the movie sees it, but if I was unsuccessful, sorry about that.  
> Suffice to say, as the tag states, there will be massive spoilers for the movie. DON'T READ IF YOU DIDN'T SEE IT! Also, I will be using some stuff from the comic-verse as inspiration, but it's more my take on the sequel.  
> Side note: The Fantastic Four will appear in future chapters, although for fans, they won't have major roles. Also, for fans of my Frostiron stories, I will return to them soon - but for the moment CW has completely broken me. I needed to let it out somehow LOL.

"Stay down, final warning."

Cap's fists came up as Tony revved his repulsors. "I can do this all day."

There wasn't anything particular about the words that should have bothered Tony, or sliced through the haze of his anger. It was just Steve, being as fucking stubborn as always, unable to see what was in front of him, unable to accept that his friend was a killer, that he'd strangled Tony's mother with his bare hands.

But there was something in Steve's eyes, in his stance that gave Tony pause. Or maybe it was all the blood, staining Steve's face, creeping from under his helmet.

Tony had been fighting by Steve's side for years. He'd never seen Cap look so rough—not after the Chitauri, not after Ultron. The only time that was comparable was when Cap had gotten his ass kicked by Bucky himself, trying to save the Winter Soldier from Hydra and nearly being killed for his trouble.

Of course, at the time, Tony had been busy still trying to make his relationship with Pepper work, so he'd missed the worst of it. But the point still stood—he'd done this.

Cap would never back down. Barnes was his friend. And Tony was so tired of hurting people. He'd been trying to make it stop, to keep the Avengers together, to shield them from the unavoidable backlash of the Accords.

He'd never wanted this.

Tony powered down the repulsors and stumbled back, suddenly feeling like the armor weighed a thousand tonnes. He looked away from Steve and plopped down on a piece of rubble, simply staring at his hands.

How had it come to this?

He lifted his ruined face plate, no longer able to withstand the flickering display. With the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Cap helping his "friend" up.

He didn't say anything. He expected Cap to just go. Everything had already been said and done. There was no turning back.

But Steve was never one to let things slide when he could help it. That was one of the things that Tony both loved and hated about Captain America.

"Tony, I... I'm sorry."

So was Tony. For being forced to play along with Ross, for trying his best and utterly failing every single time, for making Vision when he should have saved JARVIS, for getting Rhodey paralyzed, for getting everyone else imprisoned in the Raft. The problem was that at this point, it was too late to step out of the game. Too late to just close his eyes and pretend he could take Cap's route, screw them all and call them assclowns like he had once upon a time.

"Just go, Cap. Leave."

Steve hesitated. There was some shuffling, almost like a scuffle, and then finally, Steve stepped into Tony's line of sight. "This wasn't what I wanted," Steve said.

Anger flared inside Tony all over again, hot and bright. He shot to his feet, glaring at Steve. "You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to play nice with Ross, when I know exactly what he did to Bruce, when I know how fucking crooked he is?" He sneered at Steve. "It must be nice to pretend that you're only responsible for your own freedom, for your choices, but Ross has us by the balls, and you fucking knew it, Steve. You fucking knew it, and you let him tear us apart, just like he wanted to."

"What was I supposed to do?" Steve glared right back. "He was going to kill Bucky."

Yes, Bucky. Bucky all over again—the guy who'd taken everything from Tony. His parents first, then the Avengers—the one thing Tony had had left. And yes, at some level, he did know it wasn't truly Barnes's fault, that he'd been brainwashed by Hydra. But knowing it and accepting it were two entirely different things.

He wanted to tell Steve that he should have called sooner, should have turned to the Avengers for this whole Winter Soldier clone project, but that was hardly an option now after he'd almost taken Barnes's head off with a laser. In hindsight, that hadn't been his brightest moment.

"You were never going to sign the Accords anyway, Cap," he told Steve at last. "It's besides the point."

To his credit, Steve didn't argue otherwise. "It's not right, Tony. You know it isn't."

Tony didn't bother addressing that. It was all over anyway, and Tony was alone in this, just like he'd always been.

Bruce had been right, all those years ago. They'd never been a team, but a ticking time bomb. In the end, it was still up to Tony.

The sound of a cleared throat interrupted the conversation. Tony turned, only to see T'Challa approach, dragging along Zemo's limp form. "I see you've made amends. This gladdens me. The only thing Zemo wanted was to tear you apart."

"Yeah, so what else is new?" Zemo had only finished what Ultron had started—which in the end, was Tony's own fault. "I guess he succeeded too, huh? You should go, Cap."

For a few seconds, T'Challa scanned Tony's face. Finally, he said, "Captain, Wakanda's borders are open to you and yours. If you seek aid and refuge, my people can provide it."

Steve blinked in shock. "Thank you, Your Highness. We accept your gracious offer."

It was as good as a solution as Tony could expect. At least in Wakanda, Steve and Barnes would be safe.

"Awesome," he said. He accessed a hidden panel on the armor and retrieved a flash drive from inside. "And you're going to want this."

Steve hesitantly took the flash drive. "What is it?" he asked.

"Raft access codes. You're going to want to get the others out. And you might be Captain America, but last time I checked, you can't breathe underwater."

The prison was designed to be inaccessible to outsiders, and most of the time, it was submerged. But Tony had learned the hard way to always have a way out, wherever he saw a potential issue. If there was a prison, he would build a door.

Steve's expression went pained, crumpling. "Tony, I—"

Tony didn't wait to see what Steve had to say. It didn't matter, not anymore. "Now, hit me."

Steve gaped at him. "What?"

"The armor isn't really incapacitated. It's not believable, not yet. I need to get Ross absolutely convinced that you're my enemy. So hit me."

Steve dropped the shield and took a step back. "No. I won't. I can't."

Tony pressed his lips together. Always so moral, always trying to take the high ground. Was it so hard to understand that Tony needed this?

T'Challa picked up the shield and shoved Tony down. Steve yelled, but Tony was ready for it and braced himself.

T'Challa shoved the shield straight through the reactor, crushing it.

It was symbolic, in a way, even if it would have been far more suitable if Cap had done it after all. But maybe it was all a moot point.

Tony remembered the plaque on the old art reactor, the "Tony Stark has a heart". He didn't, not really, not anymore. Pepper was gone. Everyone was gone. It was only suitable that the reactor would be gone too—the final blow to his shell, to the armor that had protected him.

"Thanks," he told T'Challa, proud when his voice didn't shake.

"I'd say it is my pleasure, but it really isn't," T'Challa replied. "Go, Captain. I will remain here, with Mr. Stark. We will see each other again. In the meantime, I will notify my sister of your arrival. She will be waiting for you in Wakanda."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Steve replied sedately.

He started to move toward the exit, although he was clearly reluctant to leave. Tony heaved himself to his side, insofar as he could at least. "Oh, and Steve. Don't tell the others about this. Let them believe what they already do."

"But Tony..."

"Just... For once, do what you're told to, Cap." Tony gritted his teeth in a mix of pain and annoyance. "It has to be this way. Trust me on this."

There was no reason why Steve would trust Tony, not after everything that had happened, but maybe he realized Tony had a point. Maybe he understood that the enmity needed to be genuine, if Ross was ever going to buy Tony's story. After a few moments, Steve nodded. "All right, Tony. This time, we'll do it your way."

And then, he and Barnes were gone, and Tony was left alone with the young king of Wakanda.

For a little while, they just waited, giving Steve time to depart. T'Challa helped Tony out of the dead armor, his nimble fingers easily finding the manual latches of the armor.

By the time they heard the Quinjet fly off, Tony was already free of the suit. He and T'Challa trudged back to the jet T'Challa had flown here in.

T'Challa used the shield—and huh, Tony hadn't even realized Steve had left it—to damage the jet engines, then picked up the jet communicators. Tony just leaned against the side of the plane and stared up at the cloudy sky.

Today, he might have faced off against Captain America, but the real battle was only just beginning.

Distantly, he was aware of T'Challa making his calls, first to Wakanda, presumably to speak to his sister, then to the nearest UN base. Once that was done, T'Challa hid the shield in the jet, then joined Tony.

Tony had never been one for heartfelt conversations, but for some reason, he heard himself blurt out, "He killed my mother. Barnes."

T'Challa nodded. "I heard. I am sorry, Mr. Stark."

Coming from anybody else, it would have been a meaningless platitude, but T'Challa really sounded like he meant it. Then again, if there was anyone who could understand this, it was the young Wakandan king. T'Challa had just lost his father, after all. His killer was right there, unconscious, immobilized, but very much alive.

"How do you do it? How did you stop yourself from killing Zemo?"

"I almost didn't," T'Challa replied, his voice soft, calm, like the sound of the falling snow. "But I realized then, right before I could act, that revenge had consumed him, that it was consuming you and the Avengers as well. I could not allow that to happen to me. It is not what my father would want."

"Does it matter, though?" Tony sat cross-legged in the snow, ignoring the cold that seeped more and more into his bones. "They're dead. The dead don't have opinions."

"Indeed. And vengeance is like that, Mr. Stark. It isn't truly for the dead, but for the living. You and I, Mr. Stark... We are not men who can afford to lose ourselves in our grief and in our anger."

Tony smiled bitterly. "Yeah, well... You're about two decades too late for that. You're a better man than me, Your Highness."

When his parents had first died, Tony had lost himself in booze and women and had built an empire of bloodshed and tears. The Merchant of Death. Really, who was he to point fingers, when he had far more blood on his hands than Barnes ever would?

Even that knowledge hadn't stopped him from going after Barnes. By rights, they could have killed each other earlier. But... Did he really regret it? He didn't know. It was just... too much to process, not only losing the Avengers, but also the realization that he had never mattered enough to Steve—not enough to warrant his trust and honesty at least.

"I do not think that I am," T'Challa said, snapping Tony out of his thoughts. "I left my throne, my country, ignored my father's wishes and the wishes of a hundred nations—to hunt down one man for my own personal anger. We all have our dark side, Mr. Stark. But that doesn't free us from our duty. My father used to tell me, when I was young... Do not carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, T'Challa. One day, you will carry the weight of a kingdom. And I know he wanted me to be free, to roam wild like the black panther while I still could, before I had to take the throne. But the fact remains—that weight, that burden is ours to bear now."

"My father told me Stark men are made of iron." Tony threw a gaze toward the remnants of the suit, where it lay stashed in the jet. "Guess he wasn't wrong, although for me, it seems titanium and gold could be the trick."

"Or maybe it could be vibranium."

Something had shifted in T'Challa's voice, and Tony turned to look at him. T'Challa extended his hand toward Tony. For the first time since this entire mess had started, Tony felt the stirrings of hope.

He took T'Challa's hand. "Maybe."


	2. The Roar of the Dying Panther

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am updating again, but to be fair, the first chapter was pretty short :) As ever, all comments and feedback are much appreciated. Also note that I changed the rating. It's not exactly explicit but it's close.

_One year later_

"Tony, are you sure about this? I don't want to leave you here all alone."

Tony smiled at Rhodey, forcing a cheerfulness he didn't really feel. "I'll be fine, Rhodes. Stop worrying about me. I've got FRIDAY watching my back, and you know how busy I am these days."

Rhodey pursed his lips, but didn't argue with Tony. He knew how involved Tony had become with the Accords since his battle with Steve. He'd repeatedly stated that, despite everything, he still thought they'd done the right thing.

Tony believed that too, in a way, at least when it came to the Accords, but he wasn't sure Rhodey would agree with his end goal, and he was so tired of lying to his friend. And so, as much as he hated it, they had to go their separate ways.

It wasn't solely selfish on Tony's part. Rhodey had all the care in the world at the Avengers facility, but Tony had been working around the clock to find a method to give Rhodey his full mobility back. He'd recruited Doctor Cho for it, and she finally seemed to have reached some results—but she needed Rhodey with her before they could even consider any sort of procedure.

It would have been better if Vision hadn't left last week, since Rhodey was proving resistant to leaving now. But Tony had done everything in his power to help his friend. Now, the best thing was to get Rhodey out, before the mess that was eventually headed their way would once again swallow him whole.

Tony was really tired of hurting the people he loved.

Fortunately, Rhodey did eventually agree to leave. Tony drove him to the airport, where Happy was already waiting. They hadn't spoken much since Happy had started a relationship with Pepper, and he still looked awkward around Tony. Tony would have told him his discomfort was unwarranted—the failure of his relationship with Pepper was not Happy's fault—but he was too tired to bother.

"You take care of him, Hap," he said instead.

"Will do, boss." Happy saluted.

Tony snorted. "Not your boss now, Happy."

Technically speaking, he was—for all that Pepper was CEO, Tony still had major influence in SI. But Pepper managed most stuff in the company, especially with Tony getting more and more involved in his new project.

"You take care, Rhodey," he added, if only to prevent any awkward silences. "And don't let Doctor Cho keep you from calling."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "As if I'd ever do that. I know how you get when you're not supervised."

One last hug, and Rhodey was gone. Tony watched the plane take off, before finally turning toward his car.

There was someone waiting for him, leaning on the hood. "Careful not to scratch the car, Your Highness," Tony drawled as he walked up to T'Challa.

T'Challa nodded in greeting. "I'm always careful. All on your own now, Mr. Stark?"

"Well, not anymore, it seems." Tony didn't ask any questions, and instead gestured for T'Challa to get in. "Come on. Let's go. You're lucky I like you. I don't usually allow cats anywhere near my cars."

He drove them back toward the facility. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the festivities in your father's honor," he said after a few long moments of silence.

T'Challa arched a brow at him, almost looking amused. "You do not need to apologize. The Wakandan borders are closed, and it would have hardly been wise for you to be there."

Tony shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'm not sorry." T'Challa had likely had a lot of people to help him through it—his sister, his loyal staff, maybe even Cap—but these days, Tony considered T'Challa a friend and would have liked to be there.

Since that day in Siberia, Tony had grown close to the King of Wakanda. At first, it had been all about mutual goals, but Tony had come to admire T'Challa's intelligence and tactical mind, and in turn, T'Challa appreciated Tony's drive and his work. In some ways, they were very much alike, and Tony found comfort in having someone who understood him as back up in this whole mess with Ross.

Not to mention that the influence of the Wakandan King had been priceless in many of Tony's goals. They'd already made a lot of headway in amending the original accords, which had been sketchy at best about the rights of superhuman prisoners, legal representation and exactly what enforcement teams were entitled to do.

Tony couldn't intervene in that, not overtly, but T'Challa could, especially since it was well known that he'd let Zemo live and he was an advocate for justice at a world-wide level.

For the most part, they didn't talk much until they reached the facility. Once they were inside, and Tony was sure beyond any possible doubt that no one could hear them, he asked, "So... Not that I don't appreciate the visit, but what brings you here? Any problems on the Freezer Burn front?"

"Not as such, no," T'Challa replied, sitting down on the couch in that way he had that was so... feline. "We are still working on a way to break Mr. Barnes' programming, but in the meantime, he remains in cryo. Captain Rogers is as ever, working with his team, but the situation has taken a toll on him."

Yeah, Tony could imagine. That news had been a bit of a kick in the teeth for Tony, especially since T'Challa had told him Barnes had volunteered for the ice.

To Tony, it was similar to him volunteering to go back to Afghanistan. If he'd had any doubts left about Barnes, they were pretty much wiped away.

"And the others?"

"Vision has joined us. It seems he and Ms. Maximoff have some sort of... bond."

Tony wondered if he should have been startled by that. He really wasn't. If anything, he was happy for Vision.

Vision might not be JARVIS—and JARVIS's loss might never stop hurting—but that didn't mean Tony didn't care about this new, unique life form. And seeing his awkward attempts to flirt with Wanda prior to the whole Accords debacle had been quite uplifting.

"It is not a bad thing," T'Challa added. "I was concerned by Ms. Maximoff's ability to see our minds. Fortunately, it seems she has made him a promise to not use her skills against her allies again. So far, it seems our secrets are safe."

Tony hummed thoughtfully and poured himself and T'Challa a drink—a dash of whiskey for him, and for T'Challa, some of Thor's leftover Asgardian brew. To this day, Tony had no idea what it was made of, but it worked well on enhanced people. Since Steve was gone, it had been left pretty much abandoned.

Tony passed T'Challa his drink, and their fingertips brushed lightly. "What about you?" he asked, probably a bit more bluntly than would have been wise. "What is this about, really?"

"Shuri is being... difficult." T'Challa huffed and took a sip of his drink. "She suspects I have something planned."

"You ran away from your sister?" Tony considered his words, what he knew about Shuri, then added, "Well, you know, I wish I could say I don't get that, but I've been known to hide from Pepper when the going gets tough."

T'Challa rolled his eyes. "I'm not running away from here. It's merely that... I don't like lying to her. And it doesn't help that I have become over-protective of her since Father's death, and she carries the will of the panther as much as I do. She's not very happy with me."

Tony wasn't the best person T'Challa could come to for advice. He didn't have any siblings and his long-term relationships had all crashed and burned. When he'd been dying, he'd kept it from everyone, including his closest friends—save for JARVIS.

But T'Challa and his sister were different.

"Well, if you trust her on this, I'm going to trust you," he said after a small moment of pause. "Tell her."

"Truly? You haven't shared the information with Ms. Potts or Colonel Rhodes."

Tony shrugged, finally sitting down next to T'Challa. "Everyone is different. I didn't think Rhodey would agree with me, and besides, the last thing he needs right now is to get involved in my mess again. Same goes for Pepper. But I get a feeling that your sister doesn't much appreciate being kept out of the loop. So, tell her."

T'Challa set his glass on the coffee table. "You are an intriguing man, Mr. Stark."

His voice was smoky and low, and Tony's body suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since he'd taken a lover. Since Pepper, in fact. After her, he just hadn't managed to muster the interest to look for someone else—even for a one-night stand.

It was probably not a good idea. T'Challa was his friend, the king of Wakanda, and an essential part of Tony's plan—the only true ally Tony had. But in some ways, no matter how much he tried to be careful these days, Tony was still a reckless idiot.

When T'Challa reached for him, Tony reached back.

And then, they were kissing and holy hell, why hadn't they done this before? T'Challa had come in his Black Panther outfit, and the vibranium claws sliced straight through the material of Tony's shirt. It was strangely hot—but Tony always had liked dangerous things.

For all that this was new to their relationship, they'd probably been dancing around it for a while now, since it wasn't awkward at all. If anything, it was almost too easy—too easy to drag T'Challa to his bedroom, too easy to kiss him, touch him and forget about everything else except the simplicity of this moment. T'Challa was all sleek muscle, dark, smooth skin and barely veiled strength, and he was as much of a predator in bed as he was out of it. Usually, whenever he was with a lover, Tony took the lead, but there was something freeing about letting go. He suspected it was the same for T'Challa, because on his part, even after the vibranium costume was off, there was still clawing and biting and grappling.

Tony had one moment of clarity during which he felt impossibly grateful that, despite his dry spell, he'd had the presence of mind to bring some lube to the facility. At the time, he hadn't been planning on anything more amazing than the occasional session with his own hand, but that was besides the point. All clarity pretty much vanished, because it was all about the sensation and the stretch, the burn, the heat, the carnal intensity.

When it was over, they collapsed on the pillows, still breathing hard. "That was... pleasant," T'Challa said.

Tony snorted. "Gee thanks. You know, you're not good for my ego at all. So... Was this an international booty call or what?"

T'Challa kicked Tony in the side, and Tony cackled. It was nice, and for those couple of hours, Tony felt young again in a way he hadn't in a long time.

It couldn't last, of course, and the next day, T'Challa had to leave. Tony drove him to the airport. They shook hands as friends. They didn't kiss, nor did they touch in any other way.

Two days later, Tony fainted for the first time. Two days after that, the news came in.

It seemed all of the damage he'd done to himself had finally caught up with him. It was almost funny. If Tony had expected to ever have cancer, he'd have said it would take his liver first. But no, it was a brain tumor.

But it didn't matter, because T'Challa had reminded him of something, something he'd lost underneath all the pain and the grief and the fear. Tony had made a lot of mistakes in the past, and he'd learned from them. He could still fix this. He had built Iron Man out of a box of scraps in the Afghani desert. It was time to build him anew.

****

_Two months later_

T'Challa was overseeing a training session of the Dora Milaje when his phone vibrated against his thigh. He surreptitiously retrieved it and looked at the screen. The message was simple, as always from an unknown number. _"I'm all set. You up for another visit?"_

He didn't type a reply. Instead, he slid the phone back into his pocket and merely waited until the Doras were done.

He had decided to look into the training of the Dora Milaje corps after he had returned from Siberia, knowing that they would be needed in the future. Wakanda was strong, but what was coming their way was a threat they couldn't take lightly. The Doras would have to be the first line of defense.

And of course, there was the fact that Shuri was now the leader of the Dora Milaje. She moved like the panther she was, and T'Challa was proud of her.

If only he could focus more on what his little sister was doing than on Tony Stark.

He tried, he did, and no one else noticed his distraction. No one but Shuri, of course.

As soon as the training session was done, she ambushed him. "What is it?" she asked.

T'Challa didn't bother lying to her. He'd decided to be as honest as possible with Shuri—she deserved that, and she was a warrior in her own right. He didn't reply right then—they weren't in private—but he did lead her away, back toward their quarters.

Once they were behind closed doors, she gave him a knowing look, and T'Challa wondered how he'd ever managed to hide anything from her. "You're concerned. It is about him?"

T'Challa nodded. "He needs a favor. I will have to go to the States."

Shuri grinned at him. "My big brother. You're quite smitten, aren't you?"

T'Challa narrowed his eyes at her. He hadn't told her about Tony's condition, but she was still aware that his relationship with Tony Stark went beyond a casual romantic entanglement. "You know it's not about that."

Shuri's expression sobered. "I do know. I wish things were different. He must be quite interesting if he's managed to ensnare the Black Panther."

"You have it the other way around, Shuri. He is not a trapper. He carries the soul of a panther as well."

It might not be obvious, but it was there, a hidden threat lurking from the shadows. T'Challa was more aware than most of the necessity of masks and facades. Here in Wakanda, he had to be both king and warrior, both their leader and their defender. Abroad, he carried the mantle of leadership and diplomacy. He was rarely just T'Challa.

Tony Stark had many sides. He was primarily a scientist, a creator, but he was also a warrior—much like T'Challa himself. And he was impossible to tame. Many had tried, and they were trying again, but in time, they would see the error of their ways.

The problem with Tony Stark was that he was a wounded animal, trapped in a world very much like a zoo. And T'Challa knew that while in captivity, wild panthers didn't last long. Even when they were tended to and their bodies endured, their spirit faded.

Tony was sick. T'Challa would not allow that sickness to take him.

"Go then, my brother," Shuri told him, having obviously noticed his mood. "Wakanda will be waiting for you upon your return."

T'Challa nodded in thanks. Truly, he did not know what he'd have done without his sister. He had tried to shield her from his own grief, and he was always aware that he needed to be strong for her, but she had been strong for him in turn.

He messaged Tony, confirming his arrival, then made the arrangements necessary for his departure. The next day, he was once more landing on the airport closest to the New Avengers Facility.

As ever, Tony was there to greet him. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

T'Challa suppressed a fond smile he knew would just encouraged Tony. Whenever they spoke face to face as of late, Tony always had a cat pun on hand. At this point, T'Challa was used to it being a symptom of Tony's fondness for him.

He also knew Tony was nervous about what they were about to do. Tony had his doubts. But the war they were fighting was in many ways one of attrition, so T'Challa understood where Tony was coming from.

The tumor was inoperable. Even Wakandan medicine could only do so much. Tony didn't have much time left, and even if they did try classical methods, Tony would have to step down as Iron Man.

It wasn't an option Tony could consider, not now, not when there was still so much to do. Tony was needed if their plan was to have any chance of success.

But they were also both very aware of the risks, and it didn't go unacknowledged. The first thing Tony said when they were at the facility was, "If it doesn't work out... You know what to do. Shut me down. Promise me."

It was only a precaution, but Tony had taken the once bitten, twice shy approach. If anything went wrong, T'Challa would be able to shut down the armor and even override FRIDAY. There was also an antidote prepared, currently in T'Challa's possession. If it looked like Extremis wasn't bonding well with Tony's body, it would be T'Challa's task to stop the process.

The only problem was that T'Challa was not sure Tony would survive should they be forced to do that. But Tony had insisted. He didn't want another Hulk or another Ultron on their hands.

T'Challa didn't think it was going to be an issue. He and Tony had worked together on modifying Extremis. It was safe—or as safe as it could be.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he just helped Tony strap into the seat, placing the electrodes that would monitor his body in the right places.

Tony didn't let the issue go. "Promise me," he said again. "Promise that if something goes wrong..."

"Nothing will go wrong, Tony," T'Challa assured him. "You will be fine."

"But if it does..."

"I am here."

Tony nodded. "All right. Let's do this, kitty cat."

T'Challa initiated the process. Tony let out a choked cry as the Extremis serum entered his body. His back arched in a painful curve, every muscle taut and tense with obvious pain.

T'Challa took hold of his hand. Their fingers entwined. Tony's palm was hot, so very hot.

Tony screamed. It was like the roar of a dying panther. T'Challa had the antidote in his hand—but he didn't use it, not yet.

The red of the Extremis crackled, turning into blue. Tony writhed in his seat. His eyes suddenly lit up, their usual chocolate brown being chased away by luminescent azure.

And then, just like that, it was over. Tony went limp against the seat. His wrists were swollen red from where he'd been struggling against his bindings, but under T'challa's very eyes, the swelling went down and disappeared, leaving behind unblemished olive skin.

Even so, T'Challa was thrown. "Tony? Are you okay?"

For a few moments, Tony just stared at him. His eyes were still blue. It was unsettling, but T'Challa didn't let go of Tony's hand.

Tony burst into laughter, loud hysterical chuckles that echoed against the walls of the lab. T'Challa waited, and the laughter died as abruptly as it had started.

"Well... This is definitely not what I expected," Tony said. "T'Challa... I think something's... happened."

"Is it the tumor?"

Tony shook his head. "No, I..." Tony lifted his hand and an Iron Man gauntlet flew off the table. "I can feel it all. I can see it—in my head. The code. The armor. It's... God, I have no words."

T'Challa carefully considered Tony's confession, and then took a decision. "Extremis works with what is already there. It must have improved upon your natural affinity with technology."

He undid Tony's bindings and helped him out of the seat. Tony was shaking. Obviously, the Extremis had taken quite a toll on him. "It worked," T'Challa said. "You are safe now. The rest can come in time."

He carried Tony to the bedroom and gently placed him on the bed. Tony reached for his arm, gripping it tightly. "Stay?"

T'Challa couldn't have said no to save his life. "I will. You have my word."

Tony fell asleep almost instantly. T'Challa watched over his slumber, idly wondering if the flickering of his eyelids just meant he was dreaming—or if it was now something more.

The panther was no longer dying. T'Challa sent a prayer of thanks to Bast, and settled down to wait. Their work had only just begun, but today, they had taken a huge step forward. T'Challa wold not forget his promise—but he also knew that if there was anyone who could handle this power, it was Tony Stark.


	3. Face Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't huge, but I had it done and was happy with where it ended so I decided to post it. Hope you like it! And as always, thank you for the wonderful comments and the kudos. Much appreciated.

_Two years later_

"Stand down, Rogers. You're completely surrounded."

The Iron Man armor landed in front of Steve, gleaming completely silver. Even after all this time, it was still jarring to see, and Steve still expected one day for the red and gold to sweep in and for the clever quips to sound in his ear.

It wouldn't happen, not ever again, most likely, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt—almost as much as seeing Tony's blank face every time they fought. The new armor had some sort of transparent paneling instead of the usual face plate. It wasn't a change Steve much liked. But what else was new?

An arrow flew at Tony, and the tip crackled with electricity. It hit the arc reactor. The armor flashed—and the arrow fell harmlessly to the ground.

Tony smirked. "Sorry, Barton, that trick won't work this time around. It's as outdated as, well... everything that you are, really."

"Fuck you, Stark," Clint snapped venomously. "I'd rather be outdated, than a fucking backstabber."

Tony didn't address that, but then, he never did. Steve was grateful for his mask, because he didn't think he could have disguised his flinch otherwise.

Clint was still particularly resentful of Tony for accidentally involving his family in the whole debacle pre-Accords. He had no idea that Tony had been the one to arrange their extraction and relocation to Wakanda. He didn't know that Tony had tracked down Coulson and his new team and passed down the information to T'Challa, allowing their eventual meeting.

None of the other Avengers knew this, or that the whole reason why Steve even knew where to come was because of the information Tony provided. The secret had stayed between Steve and T'Challa—who was the only one who ever talked to Tony.

Steve had tried to contact Tony again. He'd even gone so far to send Tony a telephone, in the hope that Tony would agree to talk to him.

It had never happened. They only ever spoke during battles, and Steve constantly wondered how it had come to this.

Sometimes, he wondered if there was something he could have done differently, if he'd listened more to what Tony had to say. Probably not. Things were always going to end up like this. Ross had played his game well, and whatever happened, Steve would never regret standing up for Bucky—or for what he believed in.

As he had said, the Accords were run by people with agendas, people who didn't like superhumans much. In the past few years, superhumans had practically become a target to people like Ross and his ilk. Today, the targeted superhero was a vigilante known as Daredevil. He had been hunted for quite a while, and finally information had come in identifying him as Matt Murdock, a blind pro-bono lawyer mostly operating around Hell's Kitchen.

Daredevil had been trapped in front of a pier where he'd been taking refuge. It wasn't an airport, but it was eerily similar to that situation regardless.

Iron Man's new team assembled behind him. They called themselves the Fantastic Four and included Reed Richards—Mr. Fantastic—his wife, Sue Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman, Sue's brother Johnny, the Human Torch and their friend Ben Grimm, the Thing. Tony no longer had War Machine as backup, but there was a new flier, a woman with energy projection powers who called herself Captain Marvel.

Vision had also been part of the team for the first few months after the Avengers had split, but he had eventually left and made his way to Wakanda. It was still a mystery to Steve if Vision knew about Tony's involvement with the Secret Avengers, but it didn't really seem like it. In fact, sometimes it seemed that Tony had deliberately alienated everyone close to him.

"Well, you going to come quietly or am I going to have to make you?" Tony grinned, sharp and feral. "Please choose the second one. It would really make my day."

Wanda cursed in Sokovian, and a bolt of red flew toward Tony. It was met with a flash of bright light from Captain Marvel.

The battle exploded. Steve was well aware that they didn't have much time at their disposal—the longer the battle lasted, the more likely it was that someone would get badly hurt. So far, they'd managed to avoid it, but it was only a matter of time until they couldn't do it any longer. As Vision always said, conflict brewed catastrophe. He wished he could tell his team, but he feared that it wouldn't help much. The Fantastic Four never pulled their punches, and if the Secret Avengers started doing it, they were the ones who'd pay the heaviest price.

With a frustrated snarl, Steve faced off against Human Torch. Torch shot a bolt of fire toward him and Steve blocked it with his shield. He was secretly relieved T'Challa hadn't surrendered it to the authorities, although it had been difficult for him to use it again at first. Either way, the shield did its job as well as it always had, protecting him from his opponent. The scorching heat was almost impossible to withstand, but Steve had gone against Tony's repulsors in the past. This wasn't that different.

The rest of the battle was still going strong. Wanda had switched places with Vision and was fighting Invisible Woman, while Vision was going against Captain Marvel. Scott was fighting Tony, whereas Sam and Nat were targeting the Thing. Clint and Daredevil held back the agents that were currently arriving, as well as Mr. Fantastic.

They worked well together, and they often helped each other out. Steve diverted a fire bolt with his shield, and it hit Mr. Fantastic instead, giving Clint and Daredevil a breather. But then, they had the huge advantage of knowing the weak points of the entire team—and that of a delay on the part of most of Tony's reinforcements.

The jet was ready. All they had to do was get to it, and this time, Steve wasn't leaving anyone behind.

Not for the first time, Steve wished Bucky were here, but unfortunately they had yet to figure out a way to remove his programming. T'Challa was trying, but the mind was a delicate thing and they couldn't take any chances.

If he had been paying more attention, he might have been able to prevent the disaster. In a way, he'd always expected something like this. They'd always acknowledged how dangerous Scott's ability to grow was—both to Scott himself, and to others.

When Tony had fought Scott in the past, he'd often had someone else as backup. The young hero from the airport—Spiderman—had never returned—Steve suspected Tony was keeping him off Ross's radar somehow—but Carol had often fought in Spiderman's stead. Today, Carol had her hands full with Vision, who was learning to control his powers more and more, and Tony stood alone.

It took only a moment, and it happened so fast everyone else undoubtedly missed it. Somehow, Mr. Fantastic managed to wrap himself around Clint—kind of like an anaconda—and that was never not going to be disturbing. Unfortunately, blunt weaponry didn't work against him, so Daredevil wasn't much help. Clint's trick arrows did the job, but somehow he'd been caught off guard.

Tony stopped mid-flight. And explosion sounded somewhere nearby, and several of the boxes in the pier shattered.

Gas filled the entire area, but it wasn't toxic. It was some sort of refrigerant gas—cold as ice—and while Steve hated it with a passion, he also knew Mr. Fantastic hated it even more. The gas made it difficult for him to use his powers. For all his elasticity, his muscles were not completely immune to the laws of nature. It wasn't much, but it did make him lose his hold on Clint, allowing Clint to reach for his weapon.

Steve mentally thanked Tony for the intervention—he had no idea how Tony knew and did these things, but he always managed somehow. But again, the problem was that his team was not aware of Tony's intervention.

Scott's massive palm hit Tony at full speed, swatting him away like he was nothing more than a fly.

Steve almost dropped his shield. He let out a choked cry as Tony flew—straight through two trucks and the walls of a warehouse, only to land in the water a good distance away.

Carol abandoned her fight with Vision and flew after him. Torch followed her, although he couldn't exactly dive into the water. His concern was fortunate, because Steve couldn't have fought right now to save his life.

This was it. This was their chance, the chance Steve's team had to retreat.

Coulson's voice sounded in the communicator attached to Steve's helmet. "They're distracted. Go, Captain. The jet is prepared for your extraction."

"Hell, yes!" Clint whooped.

"Nicely done, Tic Tac," Sam added. "I'm beginning to like that trick of yours."

He was already flying toward the jet, with Redwing covering his and Natasha's retreat. With two of the heavy hitters out of combat, it was easy for Vision to sweep in and help the others overcome their respective adversaries.

Steve alone stood frozen, unable to move a muscle, staring at the spot in the water where Tony and Carol had disappeared. Carol briefly emerged empty-handed, before diving back in.

"Cap, come on," Natasha said through the communicators. "We need to go."

Steve couldn't do it. He couldn't go. He needed to. His team was relying on him. But as he stood there, all he remembered was their last conversation, the "you think I wanted this?", the "you let him tear us apart."

Maybe Tony was wrong. Maybe he wasn't. But Steve couldn't leave.

He ran forward, away from his team, toward the pier. He didn't know how well Captain Marvel saw in the water, but he was fairly certain her abilities were space-related. As far as he knew, she didn't have enhanced senses—not like Steve did.

"Go on without me," Steve said in the communicators. "I'm going after Tony."

"Cap, his team will find him," Sam said.

"Nothing he did not earn," Wanda muttered resentfully. "Besides, Stark is like a cockroach. He is impossible to kill."

Steve ignored them, speeding up and jumping into the water. It was murky, and the visibility was very low. His communicator died. Up ahead, he could catch glimpses of Captain Marvel, where she was still looking for Tony.

Steve dove deeper. Captain Marvel was having real trouble seeing, even with her energy manipulation powers that allowed her to light up the water around her.

Chances were she was looking in the wrong place.

Steve made a quick calculation of the angle and speed at which Tony had hit the water. Few people realized it, but the serum hadn't just improved his body. It had improved his mind. He was no Tony, but he still had the information, and it led him to where he needed to go.

Tony was unconscious and his body had not only hit the water bed, but had been buried inside it. Fortunately, while the water was deep, it wasn't too much for Steve, and he still managed to hold his breath long enough to pull Tony out.

The armor was heavy and with the water pressing down on top of them, it was difficult for Steve to swim out. He did it nonetheless, making for the surface. Invisible Woman found him about midway through and surrounded both him and Tony in a force field, lifting them through the water.

She gently deposited them on the pier. The rest of Tony's team rushed their way. Ross's agents had also converged on the scene. Mr. Fantastic had Steve's shield. He didn't even remember dropping it.

Steve bent over Tony and checked him over. He wasn't breathing. His not-quite faceplate was gone—it must have been a force field of sorts, and it had collapsed when Scott had hit him.

Steve reached for the latches in the armor. They weren't in the same place. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Suddenly, Tony spluttered and coughed. His eyes fluttered open and he let out a groan. "Steve? What..."

He sounded so confused, nothing like Steve's supposed nemesis. Steve could have sobbed in relief. But unfortunately, Steve was not out of the woods yet.

For a single instant, Tony's brown eyes flickered blue, and then his gaze cleared. Tony pushed Steve back and glared at his team members. "What in the world are you doing? Arrest him."

The words finally seemed to trigger something in the group. Instantly, they converged on Steve. Any opposition was completely out of the question. He went willingly, knowing that he had no other choice, that resisting would not help him in the slightest.

The last thing he saw before he was shoved into the back of a van was Thaddeus Ross's smirking face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could not resist making Steve fight Human Torch, for obvious reasons :P


	4. The Difficult Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Update! Thank you to everyone who has left me kudos and/or comments. It's much appreciated.  
> In case you're wondering, yes, Tony's armor in the previous chapter is inspired from the Superior Iron Man armor. Also, I know the original teams in the comic CW were very... weird, but I didn't want to make it too complicated :)

Steve Rogers was the biggest idiot on the planet. A heroic, self-sacrificing idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.

Granted, Steve couldn't have known that it would take a lot to kill Tony. Since perfecting Extremis, Tony was far harder to hurt, and to kill. And in all honesty, Tony was not one hundred percent sure that he couldn't drown.

But still... Steve had gotten himself captured. And for what?

_"He's an idiot. What in the world was he thinking?"_

_"To save your life, I imagine,"_ T'Challa replied. His voice came through the communicators of his jet, but Extremis conveyed it directly into Tony's mind, where no one but him could hear. _"The Captain is a good man. He couldn't have abandoned you to your fate anymore than he could have_ _Sergeant_ _Barnes."_

Tony mentally grimaced. The memory of how this had all started didn't help him in the least. If anything, it made him feel worse.

If anyone else had made the comparison, Tony would have bitten their head off, but this was T'Challa. So, Tony silently agreed. _"Yes, I know he was trying to save me. But I'm not sure I can get him out of this one, T'Challa. Chances are Ross might suspect something after that display."_

_"Oh, I don't know. I think you were quite convincing in fixing things."_

_"Maybe a little too convincing, huh?"_ Tony grimaced. He had hated ordering Steve's arrest mere moments after Steve had saved his life, but that was just the way things were. _"How much do the_ _Avengers_ _hate me now,_ _do_ _you think?"_ he asked, half in a joke, half because he genuinely wanted to know.

_"Quite a lot, most likely."_ T'Challa sighed. _"You need to tell them, Tony."_

_"You agreed with me then."_

_"I did. If you hadn't cut all ties, chances were we would have been discovered already. But this time around, it's different."_

_"Fuck."_ Tony cursed. _"I'm so close, T'Challa. Damn Steve. Why does he have to be so... Steve?"_

_"I don't know. But I am grateful nonetheless."_

Tony jolted, startled by the depth of the emotion in the comment. They didn't talk about their "feelings". They were both very aware that they had duties to attend to, and Tony knew that what they had would never last. T'Challa was, first and foremost, the king of Wakanda. Wakanda didn't have any laws against homosexual relationships, not like other African states, but tradition stated that eventually, T'Challa would have to marry a woman.

It was something Tony had accepted a long time ago, and he didn't spend his time crying into his pillow because his long-distance boyfriend was eventually going to leave him. It was just the way things were.

He wished he could have said more, but the press of a hand against his shoulder broke his concentration. _"I'm sorry,"_ he told T'Challa. _"I have to go."_

_"Good luck, Tony. And think about what I told you."_

Tony opened his eyes and looked up at Carol, who was bent over him and eying him in concern. "How are you feeling?"

"I told you I'm fine," Tony grumbled, more thankful than ever that his contacts had survived the attack. "The armor took most of the blow."

Carol gave him a disapproving look that was alarmingly similar to the way Steve used to look at him when Tony tried to dodge medical after a battle. "So you say. You didn't see what I did."

Actually, Tony had in fact seen it, and had looked over what had happened with a little help from Extremis and FRIDAY, but Carol didn't know that. Then again, Carol didn't know many things.

Tony liked her, and leaving aside Torch's alarming similarity to Steve, he liked the Fantastic Four. Under different circumstances, perhaps they could have been a team.

But Tony had once had a team, and that hadn't worked out so well in the past. The Avengers were still a part of him, but at the end of the day, they had never trusted him. He was better off with just a few people he knew he could absolutely put his faith in. T'Challa. FRIDAY.

"Are we at the Tower yet?" he asked.

Carol nodded. "Medical is ready for you, but... Tony, you need to take the armor off."

Tony could have done that, yes, but he'd had his reasons for not removing it. He didn't always have it on, of course. That would have raised questions about his mental state, questions he couldn't afford. But after battles, he often stayed in the armor until the rest of the team left.

Carol thought it was PTSD, and maybe up to a point, it was. The truth was that it was far more practical to hide Extremis behind his apparent eccentricity, and so far, it had worked. But this was the first time since Extremis that he'd really gotten badly hit, so he wasn't sure how to dodge the questions. Hiding in the armor worked for a temporary fix, but it could only do so much.

"We'll see," he told Carol vaguely as he got up. "Where are the others?"

Carol subtly took position next to him, obviously thinking he would fall over. Tony allowed himself to falter slightly, but didn't actually fall.

Carol didn't grab him, and instead, provided the requested report. "They're here with us. We offered to accompany Rogers' convoy, but General Ross refused."

Of course he had. Fucker obviously had plans, and the team would likely get in the way.

The quinjet did indeed drop them at the Tower, with Carol still hovering close to Tony. The Fantastic Four joined them as they exited the plane, but Tony was only half-paying attention to them. It was easy to track down the van Steve was in through Extremis. It seemed to be headed out of the city—that wasn't good.

Fuck, T'Challa was right. They needed to get the Avengers on this now, before Ross did something irreparable to Steve. He didn't know if it was absolutely necessary to reveal his plans to them for the purpose of saving Steve, but their private anger against him was starting to get counter-productive. It had been convincing so far, in that the government was one hundred percent certain of Tony's loyalty to their cause—but Steve wouldn't have gotten himself caught if the Avengers had known not to target Tony excessively.

Using Extremis, Tony conveyed the coordinates of the truck to T'Challa. He continued to monitor it, while directing the rest of his attention to his temporary team.

"Is Mrs. Hogan in New York?" Johnny asked. He was always the only one to ask Tony about Pepper, since the others mostly knew better.

Tony shook his head. "Still in LA. Leave it. It's not the first time I get hurt after a battle. I'll be fine. We have more important things to worry about."

The doctors were there to intercept him, but Tony deftly evaded them. "Later. We have work to do."

He shooed them off, and for the most part, they kept their distance, although they didn't actually leave. "Tony..." Reed started.

"Come on, guys. If you think the Avengers are going to let this go, you've got another think coming. And we can't afford to waste this chance. They're going to be coming in hard and fast."

"Yes, and that's exactly why you need to be at your best," Sue said reasonably.

Tony grimaced, but he couldn't argue further without things getting more suspicious. With a thought, he willed the armor to tighten around him. He averted his gaze and looked straight ahead when he felt two of his still healing ribs re-break.

Unfortunate, but necessary.

"Fine," he shot back through gritted teeth.

By the time he removed the armor completely and the medics were allowed to see to him, Tony was in a believably poor state—by his own hand. The ribs had already started to mend. He refused painkillers, but allowed them the non-invasive scan and the treatment that wasn't going to become a hindrance.

The scans, of course, came through the Tower systems and Tony could alter them to display whatever he wished. The doctors tsked over him, wrapped his ribs, declared it unwise for him to leave bed rest anytime soon, and backed off when Tony proceeded to ignore them.

"See," he told the team. "The armor caught most of the damage. Happy now?"

"Relieved, certainly," Sue said with a sweet smile. Sometimes, she looked at him like he was one of her kids.

Tony shook his head as his musings and took the elevator up to his penthouse, with the team still trailing him. "FRIDAY, give me surveillance on the terrain around the pier. Any sign of where they were headed?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Stark," FRIDAY smoothly replied. "Thus far, I have still been unable to crack the stealth module the Avengers use around the jet."

"This is increasingly worrisome," Reed commented. "Someone must be supporting them. Otherwise they wouldn't have that kind of tech."

"Yeah." Tony let out a frustrated huff and stabbed his hand through his hair. He winced when the gesture jarred his ribs, and it wasn't even for the team's benefit.

Extremis helped him heal from injuries, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell.

"We'll worry about that later. FRIDAY, patch me through Everett Ross."

FRIDAY complied. Everett Ross picked up the phone mere moments later. "Mr. Stark! Congratulations on capturing Steve Rogers. Are you well? I am told you received an injury during the battle."

"Nothing I can't handle." Tony waved it off. "There are other matters to attend to. I wanted to express my concern on the state of Rogers' imprisonment. We have reason to believe the Avengers will attempt to free him."

There was some shuffling at the other end of the connection, like Everett was looking through some files. "General Ross has reported the capture and transfer of Steven Grant Rogers to a facility near New York and he assured us that he is handling the matter on his own and does not require further assistance."

"If he could have done that, we wouldn't have been necessary to actually fight the Avengers at all," Johnny drawled.

"Perhaps. I will leave this up to you, Mr. Stark."

"To me?" Tony repeated. "Mr. Ross, I don't have the authority to take this kind of decision."

"You do now. Starting today, you are officially the Director of SWORD."

Tony didn't bother suppressing his shock. He had been hoping to find some sort of way to wriggle into SWORD, but he hadn't actually expected it to happen so quickly.

"This is a surprise. What about Ms. Brand?"

"Ms. Brand was assigned to monitor the Peak at its launch. Given your recent involvement in handling the superhuman and alien threats against Earth, you were deemed as an appropriate candidate for the position."

Well, well. Tony wondered if this had anything to do with Brand's own increasing dislike of the way things were being handled through the Accords. She wasn't all that subtle about it, and Tony suspected she had some sort of abilities herself.

Either way, it was great news for him. "Thank you, Mr. Ross. I accept."

"We were going to convey the transfer in a more official setting, but the situation being as it is..."

"Much appreciated."

There was just one problem. As all things these days, the promotion came with a lot of red tape. In other words, Tony couldn't just fly off and take care of the problem—not yet.

But that was all right. In fact, it was far better this way. He knew exactly who could handle the problem with Steve better than he could. After all, he wasn't the only one who had a vested interest in Steve's well-being.

****

T'Challa found them in a safehouse in Brazil. Technically speaking, they could have gone to the Wakandan embassy, and they had been known to do this under different circumstances. But it seemed today, the situation was particularly complicated.

The moment he walked into the room, all eyes turned toward him. They greeted him with respectful nods and murmurs of "Your Highness", but the tension in their stances was undeniable.

"I understand Captain Rogers has been taken," he said. "Where is he now?"

"We're not sure," Natasha Romanov said after a moment of silence. "We have Sharon, Coulson and his team looking into it, but so far they've had no luck."

"If we knew, we would hardly be standing here twiddling our thumbs," Barton mumbled under his breath.

T'Challa did a quick inventory of the people in the room. Scott Lang was generally not a conspicuous man, but he was very conspicuously missing. "Where is Mr. Lang?"

"He stayed behind," Sam Wilson offered. "Hid in one of Thing's cracks. He felt horrible about the whole thing—blamed himself."

Viciously, T'Challa thought "good." What had Lang been thinking, attacking Tony like that? Yes, they were opponents on the battlefield, but T'Challa knew for a fact that Tony always tried to spare the Avengers any unnecessary pain. And while they might not know that, they flaunted being the reasonable ones. A blow of that magnitude would have killed an unenhanced human.

In truth, after seeing the feed from the battle, T'Challa would have probably done something regrettable very much along the line of his pursuit of Barnes a few years ago. But Tony had contacted him using Extremis.

Their conversation had helped a lot, and T'Challa had a lot of experience with controlling his emotions, so here he was, trying to fix yet another mess.

"What's the news on Stark?" Natasha asked.

T'Challa kept his voice and face carefully level. The Avengers were, of course, aware that T'Challa had a connection with Tony Stark through their work with the Accords, but so far, they were convinced it was part of T'Challa's own cover. If there was anyone who could tell there was more to it than that, it was Agent Romanov, but until now, she seemed unaware. Nevertheless, it was a little suspicious that she had asked at all.

"My sources tell me he is under medical care in the Stark Tower in New York. Beyond that, I don't have any information."

Wanda Maximoff opened her mouth, probably intending to say something scathing. She stopped at the last moment, shooting a guilty glance toward Vision.

The android looked even more impassive than ever. He was new at life as a human, and the extent to which he could feel was vague, but he did seem to hold some lingering emotion for Tony, stemming from the original source of his existence, the artificial intelligence JARVIS. While he seemed to believe Tony was in the wrong, any show of disdain the team showed toward Tony made him very uncomfortable.

"Tic Tac said that he was temporarily conscious and he's the one who ordered Steve's arrest," Sam pointed out. "He can't be too hurt."

"Must be that new armor," Natasha mused. "Any idea what is it?"

"Likely vibranium, or a similar alloy," T'Challa replied steadily. "I have never gotten a close look, but I am told that Mr. Stark managed to manufacture the material in his own lab."

It was true. The armor was all Tony. T'Challa had actually offered to provide him with vibranium, but Tony had refused, saying he didn't want to muddy the waters in Wakanda.

T'Challa had not insisted, and he'd been right to do so, because the new armor was even more magnificent than the previous ones. The only problem Tony had with it was that he'd been forced to turn to a transparent face plate, because the displays on the regular armor were too distracting, and he could run it smoother without them. Unfortunately, this meant his face was exposed, which was a disadvantage when Tony was basically fighting people he still cared about.

But the important thing was the armor, and the Extremis had kept him safe. Now, there was Captain Rogers to consider.

"It is still quite soon, but I will see what I can draw out of Mr. Stark or Everett Ross. We might be able to pinpoint Captain Rogers' location."

Everett had proven to be quite helpful in the past. In a peculiar turn of events, he was an expert on Wakanda, and he'd been particularly angered by the death of T'Challa's father. He was not privy to Tony's true goals, of course, but he was someone T'Challa could rely on to provide at least some information.

"What about Bucky?" Barton asked. He'd taken Barnes's story to heart, especially due to his own experience with brainwashing. "Should we wake him up?"

T'Challa considered the question. Barnes would probably want to be awakened from cryo in such a situation, and he knew the truth. He could prove to be an ally.

But it was too complicated to do it now, when T'Challa couldn't monitor the process. "I am not sure that would be wise. He has been in cryo for years. It might take too long for him to recover, and to be fitted for a new arm. But it is not my decision to make. Agent Romanov?"

In Steve's absence, Natasha was the leader of the team, and T'Challa had faith in her ability to reason. He was proven right when she shook her head. "The original problem is not actually solved. Someone else might know Bucky's programming, and then, we'd find ourselves with an entirely different problem on our hands."

"Quite." T'Challa nodded. The communicator in his ear buzzed, several times in quick succession. Tony. "One moment," he told the Avengers.

T'Challa briefly turned away and stepped out of the room. He couldn't open the comms—the Avengers might overhear him, but he activated his watch—a special design of Tony's—and it produced a holographic display of the location where Steve Rogers was being kept, and the coordinates.

He returned to the Avengers, intent on telling them he had on lead on Captain Rogers. He never got the chance.

"You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"

Agent Barton's comment was so sudden that it felt like a physical attack. T'Challa would have been taken aback—and in fact, he was, but he did not let it show. "I'm sure I do not know what you mean, and even if I did, my private life is none of your affair, Agent Barton."

He let a warning slide into his voice. He might have hosted these people in his home, but that didn't mean he would accept any disrespect. On the contrary, he was a king—and they'd better remember it before he lost his patience.

"I would advise you to take great care in your following statements."

Romanov quickly stepped in—quite literally, taking position between Barton and T'Challa. "My apologies, Your Highness. Clint didn't mean any offense. We've just received some information that may impact the way we can proceed at this time."

"Information about my private life," T'Challa said, unimpressed.

"There are voices in the UN that suggest you might have an intimate relationship with Mr. Stark," Vision offered, a little apologetically. "The team is... unsettled."

"There is no reason to be." T'Challa narrowed his eyes at them. "I am a king. I will always keep secrets, but I have welcomed you in my homeland and given you shelter when no one else would. This is how you would repay me?"

"No, I..." Barton shuffled on his feet, now uncomfortable. He then straightened his back and looked straight at T'Challa. T'Challa was reminded of their first confrontation in the airport. "Let's just be straight here, Your Highness, because I'm so tired of lies and backstabbing. To be perfectly frank, just now, you seemed more worried about Stark than about Steve."

T'Challa mentally berated himself for his slip up. Then again, Agent Barton was trained to pick up on the slightest cues and he had probably been looking, if there had been rumors in the UN.

Where did that even come from? Something to look into later.

"Very well, Agent Barton. If you want to get the cards on the table, so to speak... Yes, I am engaged in an intimate relationship with Mr. Stark. No, that does not concern you in any way. No, I will not allow you to inquire about it. Do so, and you will find yourself unable to wield a bow again."

Ms. Maximoff's fingers twitched and red ghosted toward T'Challa. As much as T'Challa wanted to avoid it, he could not.

"You've been on his side," she gasped. "All this time."

"Of course I have. Or did you perhaps think that, just because you have forsaken him, he has forsaken you?"

"Wait, what the hell is going on here?" Wilson asked. "Last time I checked, he was chasing us like we were criminals."

"You are criminals, Mr. Wilson. Do not hide behind foolish pretense. It does not do you any favors. You might be allowed to walk free within the borders of Wakanda, but that is only through the grace of the crown. Internationally, you are outlaws."

"Because of Stark," Wanda spat viciously. Clearly, she'd only seen a brief glimpse of T'Challa's thoughts, which would have been encouraging if it wasn't so inconvenient.

T'Challa arched a brow. "Because of your own choices. Mr. Stark did not choose to implement the Accords, Ms. Maximoff. Tell me, what did you think would happen if you did not sign? What difference did it make, in the big picture? You removed yourself from the situation, yes, but did that keep the Accords from being implemented?"

"We are protecting people, fighting against what the Accords are doing," Wanda argued.

"Protecting people," T'Challa drawled. "It must be nice, to be so naïve. You are only able to do this because of Tony Stark's help, Ms. Maximoff. How else do you think Captain Rogers could even free you from the Raft? He is a super-soldier, but even he cannot sneak inside unaided, not in a facility that is underwater and specifically built to keep superpowered individuals at bay."

The Avengers looked at one another, now seeming uncomfortable. A worm of dark satisfaction grew inside T'Challa.

"We assumed you were the one to give him the codes," Romanov replied.

"I was never involved in that project, and even if I had been, I wouldn't have been able to provide any assistance within that time frame."

"Steve knew?" Wilson scowled. "He never said anything."

"Tony asked him not to. It was the only way, for the good of the world."

Everyone was still silent. T'challa pursued his advantage. "I am a king, Avengers. I know all about having to make the difficult choice. For all your good intentions, you did not know how to do this. You have no right to blame him, when you and Captain Rogers were not truly brave enough to face the world." He paused and reined in his emotions. "Either way, this is a matter best left for a later time. I have the location of Captain Rogers' detention facility. Now... Are you going to rescue him, or will we stand here and argue about this further?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, Abigail Brand and the Peak mostly appear in the Secret Wars Skrull Invasion storyline.


	5. Black, Red and Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to everyone who commented and kudos-ed! I am so happy I am managing to give everyone in Team Tony some closure :) As Loki would say, that was the plan.  
> Today's chapter is pretty large, in gratitude to your response. Hope you like it.  
> Side note. I want to get this done and exorcise my feels toward CW. I have chapters of both A Friend for a Week and the Most Destructive Emotion in progress. I will return to them soon.

It was rare for Natasha to make a mistake when assessing a target. It was even rarer to make that mistake more than once.

Her mission as Tony Stark's shadow during the palladium poisoning incident had not been her brightest moment. He had been unstable, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He'd also been dying, and she had known it. Still, she had virtually disregarded that in her report and proceeded to describe him in less-than-glowing terms.

Tony Stark had, in turn, proved her wrong by flying a nuclear missile in the portal during the Chitauri attack.

He had eventually forgiven her, welcomed her into his home despite the trust issues he had from Obadiah Stane and countless other betrayals. But the Ultron incident had been similar. She'd been too shaken by the vision she herself had received to see that Wanda Maximoff had been playing Tony all along.

And then he was gone, stepping out of the Initiative altogether—and she had missed Bruce, and maybe even blamed Tony for Bruce's disappearance.

It was always so easy to blame Tony for everything, she now realized, and he had made it even easier in past years.

But then, it had been easy before, when she herself had accused Tony of making the Accords about him, about his own ego.

It had taken T'Challa shoving her mistake into her face for her to even see it. She had never even once suspected that he might be playing double sides. How could he? He blamed himself for Ultron so much that he was dancing to Ross's tune, and had turned into a version of Ultron himself. And he was Tony Stark. He wasn't a spy. He didn't have intricate plans. He just attacked.

She'd been so very wrong.

Natasha now remembered all the times they'd inexplicably gotten away from a battle with Tony and his new team, all the information Steve or T'Challa had given them without actually mentioning where it had come from.

She had never even dreamed Tony was providing it, although in hindsight, it should have been obvious.

If Tony had really wanted them caught, they likely would have been already.

She leaned against the back of her seat and stared at the Widow Bites attached to her wrists. The technology had originally been Tony's, but it had since been modified. She now wondered if Tony had been the one to make this new version, because they felt as familiar and natural to her as the previous Bites had.

The difficult choice. Natasha had made the difficult choice many times, when she'd been with SHIELD or before that, with the Red Room. It wasn't unusual for an agent to be left behind. In fact, in the Red Room, agents who were unable to be extracted were often killed.

But that hadn't been all that difficult—not then, not really.

Tony had deliberately and systematically pushed everyone away, knowing they would be safe with T'Challa while he was building his own case against Ross. She wondered what he knew that they didn't. T'Challa was probably aware, but he would never tell them, not until he spoke to Tony.

She looked at T'Challa's back. Something about him had always niggled at her. She hadn't fully understood his motivations, why he took such risks for them. She wondered what else she did not understand.

Clint sat next to her, his bow clutched firmly in his hand.

"Do you believe any of this?" he signed.

"I believe it. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Clint nodded. His face was grim. "I asked Laura, about their extraction, about how they got to Wakanda, but she could never quite explain—how they were never caught. It was never his fault, was it?"

"No, it wasn't."

In front of her, Wanda was staring at nothing. Vision was not even in the jet. He was flying outside, keeping his distance. Doubtlessly, he was blaming himself for leaving Tony. He, more than anyone, should have known better. He might not be JARVIS, but part of the AI lived on inside him, and JARVIS had always known Tony best.

Sam was next to Wanda, fidgeting with Redwing. He had been a gift from Tony. They'd all gotten improved equipment at one point or another—even Wanda, although she very rarely used the body armor. She used the one T'Challa had given her, but chances were it had been designed by Tony anyway.

Coulson and his team had gone to meet up with Lang. They'd told Scott not to take any chances and definitely not pursue Tony's team too far—Tony's systems could easily detect him if they got to Stark Tower.

Scott had complied. But then Scott had always been secretly panicked about the whole thing. When he'd agreed to help Cap, he hadn't actually realized what he was getting himself into, and he had a family too, a daughter and an ex-wife, a girlfriend.

They spoke sometimes, and Hope Pym always reassured him. Natasha now wondered if Tony Stark was the reason why Hope and everyone else Scott loved were safe.

It actually made a lot of sense, now that she allowed herself to think about it. Tony's weapon of choice was a suit of armor, and that wasn't just because he was an unenhanced human.

More information arrived during the trip, and everyone snapped out of their trance. Even Vision returned, as ever looking stoic, but also determined. This time, the provided briefing was a more in-depth view of the compound, and the likeliest areas where Steve would be held. It looked just like many of the reports Natasha had received before the Avengers had split. Clearly, T'Challa had told Tony the gig was up, because they were no longer trying to disguise the format.

The Avengers had just enough time to memorize the data and come up with a plan of attack, coordinating with Coulson and his team. Coulson confirmed having picked up Scott and would meet them on site. They would split up to cover all the points Tony had identified. Coulson and his team would cover two points. Natasha, Clint and Sharon would take one. Scott would sneak in on Redwing. Sam would follow after Scott, and Wanda would go with Sam and Scott. Vision would be their first scout, since he could phase through walls.

The jet finally landed at their destination, and T'Challa left the piloting seat.

"Is Mr. Stark going to be here?" Vision asked.

T'Challa turned toward Vision. He was wearing his Black Panther garb so it was impossible to read him. "Later, perhaps. It'd be preferable, for all our sakes, to retrieve Captain Rogers before this happens."

Naturally, T'Challa couldn't go into the actual facility with them. He never came on any of their missions—for obvious reasons. But for the moment, he was apparently the only one who was in contact with Tony, and without Steve around to convey whatever information Tony provided, he was going to supervise.

Personally, Natasha thought T'Challa didn't trust them—if he ever had—but she couldn't really blame him either.

Infiltrating the facility wasn't difficult. T'Challa provided Vision with security codes—he often did that, and by now, it was obvious that the source had been Tony.

"Isn't it risky," Clint asked, "for Tony to do that?"

"Not the riskiest thing he has done," T'Challa said. There was something bleak and dark in his voice, and Natasha suppressed a flinch.

They left T'Challa at the jet, and proceeded with the plan. Vision disabled most of the security systems, and from there, the Avengers worked like a well-oiled machine. They missed Steve, who often provided cover for Clint or Natasha, but they were more determined than ever to get him back. Wanda took out the first guards before they could sound the alarm, while Falcon scoped out the scene using Redwing.

According to the plans Tony had sent, there were several underground levels to the facility. Surveillance was sketchy on the lower levels, and certain areas had no feed at all. Those were marked as the suspicious points.

There were also the archives to consider. As a secondary objective—and in case it didn't jeopardize the priority target—the Avengers were asked to retrieve any hard copy files they might find on location, should they prove to have useful information.

Natasha sort of thought that was where she came in, but she never got the chance to reach her target at all. Suddenly, the floor beneath her feet started to shake. "Look out," Sharon shouted.

Natasha grabbed Clint's armor and they all jumped back. Rubble flew as some sort of creature jumped straight through the floor, from the level beneath them.

Natasha instinctively turned and shot toward the new opponent. Something inside her went icy when the dust started to clear and she saw what she was actually shooting at.

It was... the Hulk, only it wasn't.

Where Bruce's skin had been green, this creature was red. It also seemed to emanate heat of some kind, since the temperature around them was quickly growing unbearable. "What the hell..." Clint cursed as he shot arrow after arrow at the thing, predictably with no visible effect. "Is that Bruce?"

"No," Natasha said. "It's not."

The Red Hulk grinned at them and Natasha didn't bother with bullets any longer. She knew how this worked. "Run."

As she, Clint and Sharon ran, the creature chased after them. It was eerily similar to the episode on the helicarrier—until it wasn't.

One moment the Hulk was behind them, and the next he was gone.

Natasha reached for her comms. "Avengers, we have a Hulk on the premises. I repeat, there is a Hulk on site."

"What?" Wanda gasped out. Right, the Hulk was a still sore subject there.

" _A_ Hulk, not _the_ Hulk. Not Bruce, someone else, and he's not on our side. Location unknown at this time. Exercise extreme caution, and find Steve now."

"I have detected Captain Rogers," Vision reported. "He does not look well. We need to be ready for extraction at once."

"Get him out, Vision. Everyone, make for the exit."

"Copy that."

It was regrettable, but further information would have to wait. This new Hulk was not a factor they could just ignore. It wasn't like with the Lemurian Star and Batroc—although even that mission had blown up in Natasha's face, literally.

Natasha half-expected the Red Hulk to appear again, and it would have been a relief, in a way, because she knew better than to believe he was gone. Still, her team managed to make their way successfully out of the structure. The staff manning the place was running, confirming Natasha's guess that the Red Hulk wasn't just targeting the Avengers.

Wanda, Sam and Scott were already out. So were Coulson and his team. "Vis, check in," Wanda said into the communicators.

The crackle at the other end of the connection was not encouraging. Wanda wrung her hands. "Please, Vis. Come on."

As if he'd heard her, Vision burst out of the building, still carrying Cap. Behind him came the Red Hulk.

Scott took one look at the creature and turned into Giant-Man. Natasha couldn't blame him. She hadn't gotten a great look the first time around, but now, it was frightening. Until now, she hadn't even realized how much she'd seen Bruce in the original, green Hulk, since he'd long ago stopped scaring her. This Hulk was different.

Scott kicked at him, but the Red Hulk deftly avoided the blow. He jumped straight at Scott, and with one solid fist to the solar plexus, brought Scott down. The ground shook as Scott collapsed. He promptly shrunk, his form somehow disappearing among the rubble.

"Fucking hell," Sam cursed. "We're in trouble."

"Vision, you get Cap out," Natasha said. "Take him to the quinjet. And see if you can pick up Ant-Man. That blow was serious."

Vision went without comment. He was among their heavy hitters, but unfortunately, he was also the only one strong enough and fast enough to take Cap and Scott to the jet, where they could receive medical attention.

It was just a handful of them now, nowhere near enough to hold something like the Hulk at bay. Fortunately, before the situation could get worse, a repulsor blast hit the ground at the Red Hulk's feet.

Natasha looked up, only to see Tony hovering in the air, with Carol Danvers and Human Torch next to him. The other Fantastic Four weren't far behind. "What the hell?" Torch asked. "Where did Banner come from?"

"This isn't Banner," Tony said, and the deep certainty in his voice told Natasha he knew exactly where Bruce was. "This is something different."

"Stark..." the Red Hulk laughed. "So nice of you to visit. You can finally see my masterpiece."

Tony blanched. "Ross? What the fuck? What did you do to yourself?"

Natasha's thoughts exactly. This was General Ross? No wonder he'd been so keen on getting his hands on Steve and/or Bucky all this time.

"I improved on a weapon, the greatest weapon ever built. The Hulk's strength—the super-serum's power—with the mind of a tactician. And you've been a thorn in my side for too long."

"You're kidding me right now," Tony breathed out.

"Tony!" Human Torch said a little desperately. "What do we do? We came for the Avengers."

"Forget about them right now. Contain the Red Hulk. That's more important. We don't need another Harlem incident on our hands."

"We can still help," Clint shouted. "We can work together on this."

Tony turned toward him. He was straight against the sun, and the silver armor glinted almost ominously in the light. "Okay," he finally said, "but my rules. You don't question me here, because you will regret it if you do. Maximoff, you copy?"

"Err... Yes," Wanda said a little shakily. Clearly, she hadn't expected Tony to address her, and particularly not through their comms.

"No using your hand wavey thing on Rulk, Maximoff. I mean it. No offense, but you don't have good history with that sort of thing."

"That is fair," Wanda admitted.

"You're with Sue. You girls focus on shielding. Keep him back as long as you can. Sue, you know the drill. Help Maximoff out if she needs it. Buy us some time. I need to see what makes this guy tick. Coulson, coordinate your team—evacuate the staff and see how quickly we can evacuate the nearest town if it becomes necessary. Carter, Widow, you're with Coulson. Everyone else, wait for it. Eventually, the shields will come down, and when that happens, try to distract him. Barton, if you've got anything in that quiver, now's the time. Wilson, use Redwing. Keep your distance. Reed, get the jet. Torch, Carol, Ben, you're on guard duty—make sure to get the girls out when he bypasses the shields. Where's Vision?"

"I have gone to take Captain Rogers to the jet," Vision reported. "He isn't in good condition. They experimented on him."

"I'm guessing Angry Bird down there is the result. What about Lang?"

"Unconscious. He suffered some damage, but nothing lethal."

"They're out of the combat though," Tony said. "Okay. No sweat. We can do this."

It was Tony, their Tony, not the asshole they'd been fighting for the past two years—the same guy who had flown a nuclear missile into the portal and had made a quip about shwarma after the battle. She wondered if the other team knew, if they found it weird in any way.

Wanda and Sue moved together, and their powers formed a dual force field, keeping the Red Hulk back. Sue actually tried to surround him in a bubble, cut off his breathing, but it didn't work. He broke off the bubble and shot forward at a speed that should have been impossible for someone his size.

Wanda managed to intercept him, but even after all these years, she was still young and not fully in control of her abilities. Natasha could see her strain under the effort of trying to hold the creature back.

Apparently, so could Tony, because a turret emerged from the ground—the system Vision had hacked into with Tony's codes. Apparently it wasn't dead after all. The turret began to shoot at the Red Hulk—for about ten seconds, as long as it took for the creature to rip it apart. Another took its place, then another. The automated defense system here was more advanced that Natasha had thought. They'd never have gotten in without Tony's codes—but for the Red Hulk it was just a distraction.

It bought enough time that Wanda and Invisible Woman regrouped and Coulson managed to coordinate the safe evacuation of the troops. Natasha went back to Clint's side, because like hell was she going to leave him. Clint shot her a small smirk.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind for today," he commented.

"Just like Budapest," she drawled back.

"You and I remembered Budapest very differently."

The Avengers jet soon flew in, and so did the jet the Fantastic Four used. Tony must have contacted T'Challa—or the other way around. Vision returned, looking a little scorched around the edges, but otherwise all right.

"Welcome back," Tony told him. "Okay, I've got a plan and a theory. You're going to help me test it."

"Of course, Mr. Stark. What do you need me to do?"

Tony gave Vision his instructions. Vision complied. He phased through the ground, avoiding the shields and ending up right behind the Red Hulk.

Vision kept his distance as well, but he used the power of the gem in his forehead on the creature. The Red Hulk laughed. "That's not going to work on me, Tony. Nothing you do is ever going to work. You're already beaten and you don't even know it."

"Is that the case? I very much doubt it. All this time, you've been chasing after Bruce, and the only thing you've managed is to turn yourself into... this. I mean, I thought Abomination was bad, but your version... Yeah, it's a whole level of embarrassing. And you know why? You're just like Hammer, Ross. The only way you can make something is by scavenging or copying another person's invention. And your version will always be inferior."

The air around Ross blurred slightly, and the concrete started to melt. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Stark? Not being good enough. A textbook narcissist you might be, but you were never good enough, not for the Avengers, or for Potts, or for SHIELD."

Natasha's stomach roiled. She'd never thought that damn report would come back to bite her in the ass now of all times.

Tony laughed. "Really? That's what you're going with? Some biased report that was commissioned years ago? So much for tactical genius. Sorry, Ross, but I'm way past that. In fact, I just got some pretty good news. Turns out, I'm director of SWORD, starting today. What do you think? Pretty good, huh?"

"At least I don't have to whore myself out to African kings to get promotions."

Tony's team looked shocked, but Tony didn't even blink. "No, you just have to torture people. But then, whoring yourself isn't really an option for you. I mean... Who would want you?"

The pointed jab made the Red Hulk snarl in fury. He leaped toward Tony, only to bounce off the shields Invisible Woman and Wanda still had up. "Stark!"

"Tsk, tsk." Tony shook his head. "Sorry. Not that I'm not flattered, but like you said, I'm taken." He tilted his head, scanning the creature with obvious disdain. "You know, Ross, I faced off with a god once. He got pissed at me and threw me out the window because I thought those massive horns of his were sort of overcompensating for something. What about you? You overcompensating? Performance issues much?"

The fire blast that emanated from Ross was so intense the shields started to crack. Captain Marvel and Human Torch swept in, taking Invisible Woman and Wanda out of reach. Vision shot a bolt of energy at the Red Hulk's feet, keeping him from pursuing. With the shields down, Clint began to shoot his trick arrows. Natasha shot too—plain bullets, but they served well enough as distraction. Sam sent Redwing—and the drone used its lasers and gas missiles to target the Red Hulk.

It was barely a tickle, an irritant more than anything else, but they didn't have any other options. Or it didn't seem so, until Tony's voice piped in through the communicators. "Johnny, Carol—direct assault on your part. Same goes for Vision and the jets. Anything remotely energy—shoot him. But don't get too close. Guy has some sort of energy absorbing field."

"Wait, if he's absorbing energy, won't that make him stronger?" Sam asked.

"No," Tony said. "It will make him hotter."

He gave no further explanation. Instead, he flew closer to the Red Hulk and shot a repulsor blast into his face. The creature lunged at him, but Tony danced out of his reach.

They didn't have much choice. They had to trust Tony and hope he knew what he was doing.

"You know, you shouldn't feel too bad," Tony commented, continuing the previous thread of the conversation with Ross. "After you hit a certain age... I hear these days, there's medicine for that. You don't actually have to change your entire genetic structure just so that you can get it up. Except... Were you going for the peak of human perfection? Because if that was the plan, boy... Did it fail."

The Red Hulk bellowed. It was a mad roar, very similar to that of the original Hulk. He tossed a massive truck at Tony. Tony flew out of the way, doing an elegant loop in the air.

"Oh, that's so scary." Tony cackled. "Sorry, big guy. I've seen the original. Wasn't scared then, ain't scared now."

The Red Hulk roared again. Torch threw a fire bolt at him, and the creature began to glow alarmingly red.

Another roar. Another truck thrown in Tony's direction. The creature was now completely focused on Tony, his eyes consumed by flame.

Tony was undeterred. "Come to think of it... Can you even have sex like that? Not that it'd be too much of an issue. Pretty much everyone hates you these days. Even your daughter. Or should I say, especially your daughter?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Ross had been furious before, but his daughter was clearly his sore spot, and Tony had known it. With an almost unbearable roar, he jumped toward Tony. Tony only narrowly managed to avoid him. The suit faltered slightly, the arc reactor flickering.

Tony didn't show any reaction. The arc reactor stabilized and he once more flew out of reach. When the Red Hulk landed, the concrete immediately melted under his feet. Flames simply emanated from his body. Natasha dragged Clint away, and they chose a more distant point, since even from where they'd been, they could feel the heat.

"Well, if nothing else, Tony can still be as irritating as ever," Clint said.

"I think it's a skill," Natasha replied.

"Heard that," Tony said into their comms. "I'm going to take it as a compliment." His voice sobered. "Okay, here goes nothing. Everyone, power up. On my mark. One, two, mark!"

Light exploded all around them as every single one of those present followed Tony's cue. Carol and Vision focused their powers on the Red Hulk. Torch sent a flow of concentrated flame his way. Wanda funneled the fire already burning around them and directed it at the creature. Invisible Woman sent miniature shock sphere into the Red Hulk. Clint brought up his arrows. The jets fired.

The arc reactor in the armor lit up, as bright as a sun, and a beam shot out of it, a spear of pure power. It hit the Red Hulk, and he went flying through the wall.

Clint's whoop blended with the Human Torch's cheer of victory. "Yeah! In your face, dude!"

And then, Tony dropped out of the sky and hit the ground. He didn't move again.

Natasha had seen Tony take worse blows, but to be fair, he was coming off the battle with Giant-Man. She and Clint started to run toward him, although they were still a good distance away. Invisible Woman was already by Tony's side, apparently trying to rouse him, but to no avail.

Carol Danvers dove after Ross and emerged from the wreck of the building with the naked general—in his usual form. Wanda wrapped a massive chain around him and immobilized him against the ground. Once they were sure the threat was contained, everyone converged upon Tony.

A blur of black swept past Clint and Natasha, and suddenly T'Challa was there. He gave no explanation. There was just something about him that made the two teams move to the side and give him space.

He didn't tell Susan Storm to back off, but she did so regardless.

Everyone shuffled on their feet awkwardly. It was very strange to watch. They all knew T'Challa one way or another and he was a stoic man, not prone to public displays of affection. Now, he knelt next to Tony and cupped his cheek, gently. He murmured something under his breath, but Natasha couldn't understand what was said.

"I get the feeling we wildly underestimated what's going on between those two," Clint muttered.

Natasha nodded grimly. That, in itself, was an understatement. The information she had managed to wriggle out from Everett Ross's PA had been sketchy at best, based on gossip more than anything else, but it had been worth the follow through. Natasha had considered not telling the team until she pursued it, but after Steve had been captured... It didn't seem like a good idea to wait.

All things considered, blurting it out had probably not been the best plan either.

T'Challa removed his mask, and as they watched, he pressed his mouth to Tony's. There was something in his hand, but Natasha couldn't figure out what it was.

And then, Tony let out a gasp and his eyes opened. "Well then..." he said. "Let's not do that again. Let's just take a day. Although... I'm down with the kissing. The kissing is nice."

It was just like the day of the Chitauri invasion—with one exception. Tony's eyes burned blue, so very blue.

Natasha had a feeling they'd missed far more than she'd originally realized.


	6. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another massive chapter. To be honest, I sort of didn't know where to stop it properly, and there was a lot of stuff to write - so there you go. But I don't think you'll be complaining :)  
> As always, thank you for the comments and kudos! Much appreciated.

Tony would never admit it out loud, but he had moments when he hated the armor.

It wasn't actual genuine hate, of course not. Tony still loved his creation as much as he had when he'd first put together MARK I in Afghanistan with Yinsen and MARK II in Malibu with JARVIS, so long ago.

But he had a thing against being immobilized and the armor was fucking heavy. If it was dead and he had the faceplate on, he was practically trapped in a coffin of his own making. It had been a particularly bad problem pre-Extremis.

When he charged up the unibeam, he knew he was taking a chance. He knew there was only one way to make this work. Bruce had trusted him, and for all that he hadn't spoken with his science bro in years, Tony still remembered everything Bruce had taught him when they'd been making Veronica.

The Hulk got stronger the angrier he got. This seemed to be the case for this red version too—only he got hotter. He wasn't sure if the heat was a deliberate effect or an accident, but it was actually something he could exploit.

Ironically, saying that Ross had created an inferior model was not inaccurate. The Hulk had no limit on how angry—and thus, how strong he could get. But heat was not an emotion, and it was a tricky thing to manipulate. It might be possible that Ross had deliberately attempted to create something that could be immune to most attacks, but it hadn't worked out the way he'd wanted to.

Comparing the data he had of Bruce and his little field analysis of Ross pointed out that the heat was the weakness of the creature Ross had turned himself in. No matter what Ross thought, you couldn't have a clear tactical mind while you were overheating. In fact, overheating worked against you on several different levels. The effects were already showing. The Red Hulk was starting to be disoriented and had not retaliated. But to give the final blow, Tony needed a lot of juice—so the unibeam it was.

He put every ounce of power into the blast. He expected the recoil. He did not expect the painful tear of the separation between the armor and his own mind.

He couldn't remember falling unconscious. He must have, because the next thing he knew, he was stirring awake, and a familiar mouth was on his. A less than familiar taste was on his tongue.

He would have loved to wrap his arms around T'Challa and kiss back, but unfortunately, he was still a little pinned, and by the time his head cleared, T'Challa was pulling away.

Tony mentally pouted, and then became aware of everyone who was watching. "Well then," he said, "let's not do that again. Let's just take a day." Feeling rebellious, he shot T'Challa a smile. "Although... I'm down with the kissing. The kissing is nice."

T'Challa snorted. "We can do the kissing without you trying to kill yourself every single time," he said in Wakandan.

"True." Tony grinned. "Although I have my very own Wakandan king to kiss me better. Does that make me Sleeping Beauty?"

T'Challa smiled fondly and helped him up. "How do you feel? Everything in order?"

Tony checked over Extremis, checked his ribs, and every other injury he had. He was, in fact, already feeling better, shockingly so, to the point that he could move the armor with no significant issue. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but he was back in great shape. "Fine. And I'm not just saying that." He gave T'Challa a suspicious look. "You did something."

T'Challa didn't address the matter, so Tony let it go. He didn't think anyone here understood Wakandan—or at least, not the dialect T'Challa was currently using—but Natasha must have picked something up during her stay in Wakanda. It wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility that she'd understand. Better not to chance it.

"Okay, team... Teams. Everything's fine here. No reason to panic. Now, where's Ross?"

"Immobilized," Wanda replied, pointing at Ross where he lay on the ground.

"We need to take him someplace better," Carol pointed out. "Any thoughts?"

Tony mentally reviewed everything he'd have to say and do to explain this. Thankfully, as the director of SWORD, he had the authority to make a decision under the circumstances. "Actually yes. Grab him. We have to head to the New Avengers facility." He noted that the teams hadn't moved and were still staring at him. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"It's your eyes," T'Challa said simply.

"Ah. Don't worry, that's normal."

Johnny opened his mouth, obviously wanting to point out that Tony's eyes had been brown mere moments before. Tony gave him an unimpressed look and Johnny stopped. "I'll explain later. For the moment, here's what we're going to do. Coulson's guys, Carter, Romanov, Barton—you stay here, look for the archives. Carol and Reed will stay with you and help. I need those files. The base has been evacuated and I'll buy you some time to keep everyone out. I'll give you a head's up when it's time to go. When I do that, drop everything and leave, you got me?"

He didn't have time for explanations, but fortunately, no one questioned him.

"Carol is in charge in my absence. Carol, coordinate with Coulson. Don't be fooled by the suit. Dude is badass. Oh, and before I forget, Agent—I don't think I got the chance to say. Welcome back among the living, and shame on you for supposedly dying on us. You made Pepper cry and everything." He clapped his hands, barreling forward and not allowing for anyone to say anything. "Right. Once you're done, you come to the old facility. Romanov knows the way in case everyone else doesn't. The rest of us will secure Ross. Questions?"

Sam actually lifted a hand. "How are Steve and Scott?"

"Stable," T'Challa replied. "He had several burns, broken bones and assorted injuries, but he'd already started to heal by the time I left him."

Chances were that Cap shouldn't have been left at all, but T'Challa didn't sound very repentant. Idly, Tony wondered just how pissed T'Challa was with the Avengers. Very much so, it would seem.

They didn't stay much longer at the facility. The two teams split up, as Tony had indicated. Ross was brought in the Fantastic Four jet, and Wanda joined them, to help contain him. T'Challa stayed with the Avengers, presumably to pilot and make sure everything was in order with the wounded.

The trip to the Avengers facility was tense to say the least. Sue piloted, but Johnny and Ben were visibly staring at Tony and even more visibly keeping an eye on Ross. For the most part, Tony ignored them and used Extremis to do as he'd promised and keep everyone away from the base.

"If Ross wakes up, are we equipped to contain him?" Sue asked at one point.

"We'll be fine," Tony assured them. "The facility isn't far, and he'll be out for the count for a while."

Bruce had always been out of it after a hulk out, even when he'd gotten the Hulk under control. It exhausted him, and it was highly unlikely that he would hulk out again immediately.

By the time that possibility would become an issue, Ross would be contained. Once he was safely stashed away, Tony could deal with the rest of the mess.

He was not completely sure on how to deal with the matter. In all likelihood, he'd have to tell the team about Extremis, although he had no intention of giving them the actual details. The question was—how much should he tell them? How much should he share with the Fantastic Four and Carol?

Susan and Reed had a family. If he told them this, he'd be asking them to go against the government.

Then again, he might not have a choice. Reed was a genius in his own right. He must have suspected, at least a little, and while he hadn't argued with Tony when they'd been at Ross's base, it was safe to say that Tony's cover was well and officially broken.

They deserved to know the truth—not despite their families, but because of them.

The two jets soon landed at the facility. It was a little surreal to be with the Avengers here again, but Tony pushed the feeling back. He stepped inside without a moment of hesitation, a corner of his mind still monitoring the communications around the facility they'd just left.

FRIDAY greeted him at the door. "Welcome back, boss."

"Hi, FRIDAY. Brought you a present. Come on, guys, with me." He made a quick calculation. "Vision, T'Challa, you go on to the med bay, take care of Cap and Lang."

"Of course," T'Challa replied. "We will handle it."

Tony smiled at T'Challa. He could always rely on T'Challa to know what to do. "Awesome. Thanks. We'll go stash this guy somewhere he can't cause any trouble."

As planned, Vision and T'Challa headed toward the med bay, while Tony led the rest of the group to a lower level. It wasn't actually far from the med bay, but it had been modified long after the Avengers had left.

"What is this place?" Johnny asked.

"It's a cryogenic facility," Tony replied. "Ross will be nice and cozy here."

With the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Wanda tensing. "Why do you have this?"

"Because I needed it, of course," he replied, deliberately being vague. He knew they were being suspicious because of the other person they had frozen in Wakanda, but Tony didn't have time for their games. "Don't worry," he added. "This is absolutely safe. It's Wakandan technology. T'Challa helped design it a few years ago, and I kept it in shape even if I didn't actually use it."

"You know," Ben said, "I can't help but notice that you didn't actually answer the question." He narrowed his eyes at Tony—and his eyes had always been very expressive, perhaps to compensate for the fact that he couldn't fully have actual expressions anymore, not using his face. "You been keeping secrets, Tony."

"Oh, yeah. I've got a ton of those. But don't clobber me just yet, Ben. Sue, come on, bring him."

Together with Sue, Tony got Ross ready for the process. They dressed him in some clean medical clothing—unpleasant, but necessary.

He took a blood sample from Ross and had FRIDAY do the check-ups. By his assessment, given Ross's new enhancements, the good general should be fine in cryo.

His guess was proven correct mere minutes later, and Tony turned toward those present.

"Okay, for full disclosure—this is what is going to happen. As you know, so far cryogenics has only been used on enhanced beings. Other than certain supersoldiers, there was the creature called the Abomination, who is also a product of gamma ray experimentation and playing around with the superserum. Anyway, Wakanda has perfected the technology since Hydra. There are solutions that keep the DNA of normal people from deteriorating, but it seems Ross won't need it. Now... He's currently unconscious, and I have no way of knowing if that will affect him or not later. It would probably be safer to wake him up—for him—but unfortunately, I'm not sure if he's recovered enough to hulk out again. As far as I know, the Abomination was sent into cryo while still unconscious after the battle in Harlem, but reports on that have always been vague. Anyway. if anyone is uncomfortable with this, please step out. I'm not taking any chances here."

In truth, he was fucking pissed at Ross. Bruce had finally gotten some peace, and while it had come at a cost, Tony had kept his distance and made sure no one found him. But this would definitely draw the eye all over again.

Tony suspected that had been one of Ross's intentions. In fact, he suspected Ross hadn't expected Tony to recognize him. Fortunately, while there were a lot of things that changed when someone hulked out, others stayed the same, and the scanners in the suit had had no real trouble identifying Ross as the Red Hulk.

Turning away, Tony finished the preparations for the process. No one left.

In minutes, the glass was fogging with ice crystals, and Ross was safely in cryogenic sleep.

A weight he hadn't even known was there lifted off Tony's chest. Okay, one issue down, a million to go.

"Okay, guys. We're done here. FRIDAY will keep an eye out."

Even as he spoke, he realized he could no longer delay the return of the SWORD troops. For show, he looked over his tablet, and then said, "FRIDAY, connect to Carol. Send the evac signal."

"Of course, boss. Signal received. They are on their way."

"Awesome." Tony ushered everyone out. "We'll wait for the others to arrive and then I'll explain."

Since the issue with Ross was temporarily dealt with, they all made a beeline for the med bay. Doctor Cho was no longer here, but T'Challa and Vision knew how to hook up Cap and Lang to the still existing equipment.

"Is anyone else hurt?" T'Challa asked.

"Susie got scraped, I think," Ben reported.

Susan rolled her eyes, but obediently allowed herself to be checked over. It was all very light, the occasional bruising, scratches. They'd gotten out pretty clean. For once, they'd won this one. Go him. Yay.

Tony leaned against the wall and mentally tracked down the information on Cap's condition. T'Challa had actually been right. Cap had taken quite a beating, but he'd seen worse, and they'd intervened before Ross could hurt him too badly.

Lang stirred even as T'Challa bandaged Sue's arm.

"Guh. What happened?"

"You had an unpleasant meeting with a Hulk, Tic Tac," Wilson said. "How're you feeling?"

"Worse than the time Hope punched me in the face. Or the time I was flushed down the water line."

Tony snorted. That sounded like quite a story. At a different time, he'd probably have enjoyed hearing it, but right now, it just made it clearer that the Avengers had a whole different group. And wasn't it ridiculous that it still sort of hurt?

T'Challa made his way to Tony's side. "Are you ever going to take off the armor?" he asked in Wakandan.

Tony blinked. He had taken off the gloves earlier, but not the armor, and he hadn't even remembered to replace the reactor. Apparently, he was more discombobulated than he'd thought.

"Yeah, sorry. Forgot."

T'Challa gave him a knowing look. It was a Freudian slip, Tony knew, because he didn't feel safe around the Avengers, but neither did he feel... unsafe. He shook his head at his own indecisive stupidity.

"I'll go. You keep an eye out here. And we'll talk later."

T'Challa nodded, getting the message. Tony left the med bay and made a beeline for the bedroom he still kept here.

He needed a bath and a change of clothes—and he needed to warn Bruce of what was coming his way. Ah well. He'd always been good at multitasking.

****

After Tony was gone, no one dared to approach T'Challa. He supposed he wasn't being all that approachable. He was keeping it together, but he knew he and Tony needed to have a serious conversation. Again.

Tony's Extremis had not been something they'd expected and had gone beyond what they'd originally planned. It could also do damage, if Tony wasn't careful—like earlier, when Tony had been, for lack of a better word, plugged in and the armor had died on him.

Tony had a strong connection to the Extremis armor, almost like it was a part of him. Sometimes, it didn't even seem like he realized it, and one of these days, T'Challa half-expected that he'd find a way to make it an actual extension of his body.

But for the moment, the armor was very much removable and vulnerable to damage and power outages. It had been a concern many times in the past, and it was the reason why T'Challa had basically broken Wakandan law for him.

T'Challa had not actually expected to have to use the heart-shape herb, but he'd learned the benefits of being prepared. Thank God it had worked. It tended to poison unenhanced individuals, but it had rebooted Tony's Extremis successfully, much like T'Challa's laboratory testing had indicated.

It was a blessing from Bast if T'Challa had ever seen one.

He eyed Tony's would-be allies with care. He didn't trust them, not in the least, but so far, they hadn't reacted poorly to what had happened.

Of course, chances were that would change soon. In fact, it became pretty obvious that this would be the case the moment the rest of the Avengers returned.

Vision remained in the med bay to watch after Captain Rogers, but everyone else met up with the new arrivals. The expressions on the faces of the Avengers were not promising. They were all carrying files, and T'Challa wondered exactly what they'd found that had pissed them off.

Tony had done a lot of things that looked very bad in the past years, and military reports always showed only what Tony wanted them to.

Tony emerged from his bedroom, still rubbing his head with a towel. "What did you find?"

Barton threw a file at him. Tony caught it with ease. The title on the file said "Project Wideawake." Ah.

Tony took a glimpse at the file, then set it aside, uninterested. "Anything else?"

Sharon Carter gaped at him. "You knew about this?"

"Of course he did," Barton pointed out. "His name is right there. He's a "consultant" on the project. And here I thought we'd been wrong about you."

"Wait, back up," Wilson piped in. "What's Project Wideawake?"

"Basically, an army of robots meant to track down and put superpowered people under the control of the government. I think containment camps were mentioned."

Wanda gasped. Everybody stared at Tony. T'Challa was, as ever, unimpressed.

"Clint," Natasha barked, "stop. We've talked about this." Her voice didn't soften, but there was something different in her eyes when she looked at Tony. "Tony, what is going on? Talk to us. Come on."

Tony suddenly looked very tired. T'Challa ached for him. "I did warn you, didn't I, Tash? And you knew too. You said—it was better to keep a hand on the wheel. But you forgot all that when Cap said jump. You forgot, and it all went to hell.

"Yes, Project Wideawake is an army of robots. Yes, it's eerily similar to Ultron, and that's not really a coincidence either. You probably don't know this, but the only reason why I wasn't charged with treason and international terrorism after Ultron was because of Thor. Thor came out and said that Ultron was not actually something I had made—it was a product of the Mind Gem."

"You can't be serious." Wanda's eyes sparked red. "You're going to just—"

"Maximoff, I'm only going to say this once. I had my own part in it, but so did you, so shut the fuck up. I never skirted my responsibility, but the fact remains that the core of the AI was in the gem in Loki's scepter. Bruce and I never got close to what we were trying to do. Believe me, if we had, I wouldn't have left JARVIS alone to supervise the process. But you know... If wishes were horses..." He paused, brushing slightly against T'Challa as he made his way to the bar.

"Anyway, that's all over and done with. The idea is that it was decided superhumans are a threat. Aliens are a threat. And for all that the Ultron project failed, the robots did keep us on our toes, and could have beaten us. Before my fight with Cap, it was mostly a very vague concept, but after that... Well, Ross and some others pointed out how much a threat the Avengers had always been, that superhumans were loose cannons, couldn't be trusted, and so on and so forth. Project Wideawake was resurrected. It's headed by this guy Trask. He's a bit of a maniac, but he isn't actually bad at what he's doing. And let me tell you, the robots he made are nothing like the Iron Legion, or even the Ultron drones. They are these massive behemoths, armed specifically for the takedown and capture of superhumans. In fact, part of my job, these past years, has been to weaponize the Sentinels."

Natasha's breath caught. "Tony..."

Tony poured himself a drink and smiled like a shark. "But see, my dear Natalie Rushman, a weapon is useless if they can't use it. At present, the sentinels are unusable—for... reasons that may or may not be connected to me."

Only T'Challa would ever know how difficult it had been for Tony to take control of the AI that was meant to be the Sentinels' operating system. It had looked pretty hopeless for a while—but Extremis had given them the edge they'd needed.

"You've been busy, haven't you?" Natasha commented.

"You have no idea. Anyway, that's not why I sent you in. Carol, Reed, help me out here."

"We found this." Reed's arm expanded as he produced more files. One of them said Project Scorched Earth, but there were more, large bundles of hard copy folders. In all likelihood, the group hadn't gotten the chance to look over everything and had grabbed what they'd been able to.

"Well... This is promising," Tony said as he quickly flipped through the Scorched Earth file.

The others watched him for a few moments, obviously taken aback by his apparent nonchalance. At last, Susan Storm cleared her throat.

"Tony, can you just... start over? What is going on? Were you working with the Avengers all along? What are you trying to do? Why do you have a cryo chamber in your basement?"

There was something a bit hysterical in her voice and it made Tony look up from his work. "Sue, breathe." He shot her a small, reassuring smile. "I'm just doing what I've always tried to do. I'm an engineer. I fix things. So I had to fix that mess with the Accords. Cap was right about one thing—the Accords were run by people with agendas. But the problem with Cap's point of view is that he seemed to think that if he didn't sign, it somehow meant something. It didn't. It meant absolutely nothing, beyond extra encouragement for Ross and his ilk."

His smile faded, turning into a blank, almost sickening non-expression. "So to answer your question, Sue, no, I haven't been working with the Avengers. They've pretty much hated me all this time, in case the massive punch by the giant guy didn't make that obvious. I've been doing damage control so that people like us, like you, Reed, your kids, Carol, the Avengers—everyone in this room—don't wake up one day with a bunch of robots knocking at their door. Had to do a lot of ass kissing too, had to go back to building weapons. That was not pleasant, but it got me the position of Director of SWORD. So yeah... It's fucked up, and I haven't much enjoyed it, let me tell you, but it's better than the alternative. As for the cryo thing... To catch up the new arrivals, that's where Ross is right now, in a cryo chamber in this very facility. I have it because two years ago, I found out I had a brain tumor and I was dying. That was one of the potential solutions. Happy now?"

Silence.

Tony didn't seem particularly gratified. But then, how could he be, when once again, he'd gotten proof of how easy it was of the people he'd once called friends to believe the worst of him?

"I need to read all this stuff over and make some calls. Reed, give me the rest of it. If anyone has questions, ask FRIDAY. T'Challa, I'll be upstairs."

He turned his back on the group and stalked out of the room. Natasha moved to follow, but T'Challa stepped in, covering Tony's retreat. "No. Leave him be. You've done quite enough."

He tried to sound calm, but he probably failed abysmally. He could hear the threat in his own voice, the barely contained panther rearing at the back of his mind.

Right now, the panther saw these people as enemies—and it wasn't good for their future well-being. It didn't help him at all that he knew how difficult it was for Tony to discuss these things, how much it had cost him to agree to weaponize the Sentinels. For a long time, after Tony had become involved in the project, he'd been completely unable to sleep, and when he did succumb to exhaustion, he always woke up screaming. T'Challa had stayed here insofar as it had been possible, but he'd been needed in Wakanda too. Things were better now, but it was still a raw wound and the Avengers were managing to claw all over it.

He wanted to go to Tony too, wanted to hold him, rock him, tell him he had made the right choices—but he could not afford to do so. Tony was relying on him to keep these people back while he retreated to lick his wounds. He might not have said so outright, but he made it clear that he wanted to be alone. And T'Challa would give him that, no matter what it cost him. He'd have to trust that FRIDAY would alert him if Tony had a bad panic attack.

His anger must have shown, because Romanov took a step back.

"Your Highness," Carol Danvers intervened, "if I may... We'd much appreciate it if you could fill in the blanks of what Tony didn't say. We're missing a lot of this."

"I've read the files," Reed offered, "and if that is true, we are completely behind Tony in this. But we need some more background information."

"Can we just... Before we deal with any of that... What did he mean by tumor?"

Johnny Storm sounded a little panicky. For all his apparent frivolity, he was, in his heart, a good man, and he clearly cared about Tony.

"It was as he said. A brain tumor, inoperable. We discussed the matter together. Even for Wakandan medicine, it was impossible to handle. In the end, we brought forth several options. The cryo was one of them. He didn't have much time, and the idea was that, during the freeze, I would keep looking for a solution. In the end, it was not necessary. We found another cure."

"Extremis," Reed guessed—because of course he did. He was a clever man too, and he had been intrigued by the virus.

T'Challa nodded. "It's stable. We took all the precautions. He's quite all right now, I assure you. The eyes were a side-effect."

"No wonder he always dodges medical," Carol muttered. "He has an enhanced healing factor."

"Quite. Now please, if you have any other questions, sit down and ask. But take heed. I will not tolerate any further disrespect."

The two teams all sat around wherever they could find a spot, with the Avengers looking awkward and regretful. Not that regret was of any assistance at this point. It was only T'Challa's longtime experience with diplomacy that kept him civil.

The next problem appeared when it became obvious that, despite the fact that they still had questions, no one wanted to ask again. T'Challa might have taken the initiative himself, but he was resentful enough that he didn't want to make things easier for them.

Technically speaking, his time was precious and he had a million things to do and deal with. But a panther always knew the benefits of stalking one's prey.

The lights of the complex temporarily flickered. T'Challa didn't display any reaction, even if he just wanted to go after Tony even more.

"Well?" he prodded at last.

"We just..." Johnny Storm scratched his head awkwardly. "We just want to understand how this all happened. I mean... Tony's one of us... It kind of feels like... Was any of it even real?"

Susan Storm reached for her brother's hand and them, T'Challa could not be angry with. They might have acted as tools for the government, but much like Tony, they'd been trying to do the right thing. Until now, they hadn't even had all the information.

"Mr. Storm, I know this might not be what you want to hear, but you have to understand that what Tony and I have been doing is a very sensitive matter. We could not afford to draw more people in."

"What about Steve?" Wilson asked. "How come he knew?"

"He was there, when we first began to put the plan together. So was Mr. Barnes. It was, in fact, shortly after their fight in Siberia."

"Wait... So Stark... What? He let them go?" Lang rubbed his forehead. "This is a little too much for me right now."

T'Challa wanted to point out it would have been better if Lang had stayed in the med bay, but he refrained. "In truth, Mr. Lang, your only experience with Tony is that during the incident at the airport and whatever stories Mr. Pym has been filling your head with. I do believe that in this case, you—and Mr. Pym—might not be the best judges of character."

"Yeah, fair enough," Scott mumbled, deflating.

He turned toward Johnny once again. "Mr. Storm. As you might have gathered, this matter is bigger than you, than Tony and me, than all of us. We could not take the chance."

"I get that. I just... He didn't trust us. Why didn't he trust us and he trusted you?"

Tony had not trusted him in the beginning, but how could he? They'd needed each other's help, and their relationship had grown from there. But T'Challa had no intention to share that with anyone. "I earned it," he said instead. He didn't say that no one else had. Perhaps that was unfair of him, but he was tired of being fair when so few people were.

Tony's voice interrupted the conversation. "I never set out to lie to you, Johnny. I like you and Sue and Ben and Carol. Jury's still out on Reed." He smiled slightly. "I never set out to pick up another team. That hasn't worked out too well for me in the past. Just ask Romanov. Or hell, ask anyone with Internet access. Apparently, three quarters of the known world is now aware that I don't play well with others."

"Tony, I..." Romanov started.

"Save it. I don't want to hear it. That's not why I came down here for. I found something you might want to see, Reed."

He passed Richards a file. Reed obediently flipped through it and promptly went pasty. "How... How is this possible?"

"I did tell you, Reed. I told you to be careful with the other-dimension tech."

"I thought you were just being jealous," Richards said.

Tony snorted. "I've got many problems, but these days, professional jealousy ain't one of it. The good news is that this is a recent project and we can stop it before more damage is done." He tapped his tablet and displays of some monstrous-looking creatures appeared. "Although there's plenty done already."

"What the hell, Tony? What is this?"

"Project Purgatory. It's buried deep, deeper than even I could reach. I suspected something wasn't right when the army started pressuring Reed about his tech, and I've been looking. I didn't expect to hit pay dirt here of all places, but hey, counting my blessings. Basically, it seems they haven't limited their experiments to supersoldiers. Officially, this is a study in the supernatural and paranormal. In truth, it translates into making an army of demon children based in a dimension known as Limbo. Fun times, eh?"

"Jesus," Ben Grimm mumbled under his breath.

"And in case you're wondering, yep, there's more to it than just that. One thing I've learned in past years—there's always more to it. So... Are you going to sit around here having an existential crisis or are you going to do something about this shit?"

"We're with you, Tony, you know that," Carol offered. "It's just... It's all the secrets we don't appreciate. We're not tools. We have to know what we're fighting here."

"That's fair. I owe you guys an apology, really. I'm afraid you were sort of caught in the middle here."

"It's okay, Tony," Sue said, finally getting up. "We understand. I'm glad that, even if you didn't trust us, you had someone by your side."

She stalked to his side and she actually hugged him. Tony's expression was both hilarious and heart-breaking. Clearly, he'd expected to lose more friends today.

He wondered what options Tony had considered, what must have gone through his head while T'Challa had been down here.

It was a question for later.

Finally, Sue broke the embrace. Tony cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyway, kids. This has been fun, but you guys need to skedaddle. I've been monitoring communications and chances are I might get a visit soon. I'll have to deal with this Ross bullshit, and it'd be better if you weren't here when that happens."

"Tests indicate that Captain Rogers is safe to transfer," FRIDAY piped up.

This was T'Challa's cue. He was supposed to leave as well. He could see Tony waiting for it.

Everyone always left. But not this time.

"I'm sure the Avengers can make their way back without me having to hold their hands. Correct?"

Romanov nodded. "Of course."

Tony narrowed his eyes at T'Challa. "They're coming even as we speak. We can probably explain your presence, but..."

"Unnecessarily complicated. I know. I'm staying anyway."

Tony didn't argue with him again. The lights flickered slightly and his eyes flashed bluer than before, but he didn't try to dissuade T'Challa. They'd had their fights in the past, with many of them related to the risks Tony took with Extremis, but Tony clearly didn't want to fight in front of the Avengers.

The Fantastic Four must have sensed the tension too, because they didn't stay either. They seemed to want to—they clearly had more questions for Tony, but Susan herded them all away.

Tony supervised Captain Rogers' transfer to the Avengers' jet. T'Challa waited for him in the facility, watching Tony's tense stance with a grim heart.

When the planes were gone, Tony stared after them for a few moments, before finally seeming to brace himself and heading back in. The moment he stepped through the door, he was speaking. "If you're going to lecture me, I don't—"

T'Challa grabbed Tony's arm and flipped him, pinning him against the wall. He pressed their mouths together, cutting Tony off.

He could have easily deepened the kiss, and a part of him wanted to, but he didn't. It wasn't what Tony needed, not really.

When he pulled away, Tony looked a little dazed. "Uh..."

"It is all right now. I'm here."

He said nothing more, but he didn't have to. Tony went limp against him and buried his head in his shoulder. They stumbled together to the couch and just sat there in silence, with Tony still shaking against him.

He didn't say it was all right. Nothing was all right, and he didn't know if he could make that promise. The lights in the facility dimmed and the blinds slid closed, making the slight glow of Tony's eyes even more striking.

T'Challa had never felt angrier, and more powerless in his life—but he also knew that he was where he needed to be, and he knew that somehow, he would fix this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Project Wideawake and Project Purgatory are actually things in the comics. I took some liberties with it because the Sentinel thing was very much connected to mutants - a lot of it was connected to mutants - and this story is the MCU version where mutants are sort of separate. Project Scorched Earth was sort of an adaptation - I don't know if the Red Hulk thing ever had a name, but the title does come from the comics.  
> The heart-shaped herb is part of how the Black Panthers acquire their powers.  
> Also, send Tony a lot of hugs. Poor baby. He's not all right.


	7. Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as long as yesterday's chapter, but still longish :) I really have no idea how this happened - it wasn't supposed to be such a long story, but oh well.  
> Thank you to everyone who has been giving me feedback, leaving comments and kudos. You guys rock and feed the muse.

Tony hated falling apart in front of people. These past years, he had tried very very hard to not let it show how not all right he was. T'Challa was the only one who truly knew about it, but T'Challa was the king of Wakanda and couldn't be here to hold Tony's hand every single time the dead reached for him from his nightmares.

"I didn't want this, T'Challa," he whispered. "I didn't want to build weapons again. I had to. The alternative... If the government had shut me out... It was my only leverage, that they wanted Stark weapons."

He had been monitoring every single missile, yes, but he wasn't optimistic or unrealistic enough not to admit that the government might have managed to copy at least part of the design. He'd taken precautions, but they had great scientists on their side. Tony wasn't immune to mistakes and failures, and even Extremis had its limits.

"I fucked up, T'Challa. I wasn't good enough. If I'd been good enough, Cap would've trusted me. We'd have done things differently. And now, I screwed up with the Fantastic Four and Carol too. I always screw up."

It was only a matter of time until T'Challa got tired of cleaning up Tony's messes, got tired of Tony himself being a mess. And he knew, he just knew that he should be controlling the panic, the fear, not let it control him, but throughout the day, he had been keeping himself together by a thread, focusing on the problem—only on the problem. He couldn't do it anymore. It was too much.

"Yinsen told me... Don't waste your life, Stark. I tried. I fucking tried. But everything I've ever done... I just make things worse. They're right to—"

"No."

T'Challa's voice was soft, but implacable, as was his way. He'd listened silently, letting Tony rant, letting him pour of the venom that was poisoning him, but it seemed now, it was his turn to speak.

There were few things that could silence Tony Stark, but these days, T'Challa managed what nobody—not even Pepper ever had. Tony lifted his head to look at his lover, only to meet T'Challa's fierce, unfathomable eyes. "You've already done so much, Tony. But they are cruel, cruel people. It is easy for them to believe the worst, because the alternative is accepting their own mistake. Blaming others is always better than blaming oneself."

"I can't afford not to take responsibility for my mistakes, T'Challa."

"I know. And you have been doing exactly that. This is the only thing we could've done, Tony, you know it is. If we'd all pretended things could go on as they did before, where would we be now?"

T'Challa sighed. "Sometimes, I have moments when I wish I could hide again. I wish to lock the borders of Wakanda once more and protect my people from the world. But this is an enemy we must face, and as regrettable as it is, there are few who could've done what you did, few who have the skill, the leverage and the intelligence to make it believable."

Tony laughed bitterly. "I guess there's only one Merchant of Death, huh?"

"There is only one Tony Stark. I did not know you then, Tony, so I cannot give my opinion on the Merchant of Death, but I know you now, and I know that you were meant to protect people, and that is what you are doing. The others... They do not understand. They have bled for their loyalties, sacrificed much—but they do not understand that the greatest sacrifice is not your blood, or your limbs, or your pain, but your own soul."

T'Challa pressed a hand to Tony's chest. "You would do that. I know you would. But I don't want you to. And you don't have to. You are not alone, Tony."

Silence fell, heavy with the weight of expectation. Tony shuddered, knowing he should say something, but unable to vocalize his scattered thoughts.

"I have a confession to make," T'Challa offered at last.

Tony wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. "What is it?"

"Earlier, at the facility... You weren't in a good condition. I've been worried about you. When I kissed you, I gave you a poultice, something made from the heart-shaped herb."

Tony blanched. That was something strictly Wakandan, not meant for outsiders. "T'Challa..."

"In case you're wondering, I did test it before. Laboratory tests showed that you'd respond positively with it. As you know, the herb is usually applied to the skin, but this poultice can function otherwise. Even the Extremis has its limits, and I feared for you."

Tony's mind whirled as he tried to process all that. It was... Quite frankly, it was incredible to hear, that T'Challa had broken the laws of his people for him. Technically speaking, he was king, so he could take some liberties, but still... It meant a lot.

"T'Challa... I don't..." His voice cracked. "Why?"

"Because you deserve it. You are a warrior, and you have been holding fast against an avalanche for years, with almost nothing to show for it." He brushed his fingers over Tony's cheek. "And because when this is over... I want you to come with me to Wakanda. I want you to be my consort."

Tony's mouth opened and closed. He was probably gaping like a fish. "T'Challa."

"Don't answer me now. Think about it. Take your time. I will understand if you say no, and nothing will have to change. But even when you believe nothing, believe this. There is no one—other than perhaps, Shuri—that I would trust with Wakanda more, only you."

Tony's breath caught. It wasn't an I love you, it was so much more than that.

T'Challa was a king. First and foremost, he had to think of his people. It had always been that way, and Tony had accepted it.

"T'Challa, you need a wife."

"Traditionally, yes. But things have changed. Wakanda is changing. We are opening up to the world. As difficult as it is, it is clearly necessary. Even if I did not choose you, an outsider would still be recommended as a spouse. The matter of children is not so difficult to handle. Wakanda is, after all, the most advanced country in the world." T'Challa leaned in closer to Tony. "It is where you belong, Tony. It is where you've always belonged, with me, creating a new world, a brighter future."

Tony's breath caught. He could see it. He could definitely see it. Wakanda was already of beacon of clean energy, and Tony had been working on that for years. Politically, it was a good decision—it would definitely give him the leverage he needed to push things further in the right direction.

But most importantly, he wanted this—for himself. He wanted to finally... go home.

Once upon a time, home had been Malibu and JARVIS and Pepper. Those days were long gone now. But Wakanda and T'Challa could be home. He could see it.

"I know it is not the best time to ask," T'Challa continued. "It has been a difficult day. But in the meantime, while you decide, please accept this token."

T'Challa retrieved the necklace that perpetually dangled from his neck. It was a more sedate version of the vibranium reinforcement of his Black Panther garb, but it was actually made out of the fangs of his first kill.

It was a coming of age thing, T'Challa had once explained, and it was very important for any Wakandan warrior.

Tony lowered his head and allowed T'Challa to place the item around his neck. T'Challa didn't push him to do it, but for Tony, refusal wasn't an option.

He was a billionaire, so he knew better than anyone that some things were priceless.

Trust. Loyalty. Love. Those things were in short supply, and even when Tony had had them, they'd only ever been on loan—not truly his, not for long. But in this, he could believe.

He didn't say yes, not yet. He couldn't afford to make promises, not knowing the mess they'd soon have on their hands.

Instead, he threaded his fingers with T'Challa's and smiled. "After this is all over, you'll have your reply."

T'Challa smiled back. "I can wait." A few moments passed while they just looked at one another, a little stupidly, like they were teenagers, not grown men with the weight of countries on their shoulders. T'Challa snapped out of it first. "Now... Is the army truly coming or was that just an excuse?"

Tony shook himself, thankful T'Challa had remembered. "It was sort of an excuse, but I do have to talk to them and explain."

"And I have to talk to Shuri." T'Challa scowled. "She needs to be made aware."

"Got it. I'll give you some privacy and I'll go check up on the other stuff." Just because he could, he leaned in and brushed his lips over T'Challa's. "Thank you."

T'Challa smiled again and rubbed his thumb over the necklace. "No. Thank you."

It was only when Tony was already out of the room that he realized T'Challa had deliberately given him an out, a way to leave the situation, to take a moment to process the offer. At a different time, it might have scared him maybe, because it was a sign of how well T'Challa knew him.

Instead, it made him smile.

He might not be an Avenger, and he might not play well with others. He might have made more mistakes in his life than an entire country put together. But T'Challa trusted him—and that meant everything.

****

The moment the call connected and Shuri's face appeared on screen, she knew something was wrong. "Brother. Is all well?"

T'Challa sighed. He had not wanted to worry her, but it couldn't be helped. "Yes and no. I apologize for not calling sooner, but I just haven't had the time. Much has happened."

In brief, efficient sentences, T'Challa explained the situation, the Avengers' discovery and their reaction to it. Shuri's expression darkened more and more as he spoke.

"And you still wish to host them here?" she asked.

"It is the only place where they are truly safe, and losing them would be a disadvantage at this time."

"I don't know." Shuri smiled tightly. "It doesn't seem like it to me. In fact, I find it very tempting to just throw them to the panthers."

T'Challa could empathize, but it was not a real solution. "No. As much at the thought appeals, we must continue to shelter them."

Shuri nodded. "As is your wish, brother, but I don't like it. How is your Mr. Stark?"

"Better, now." T'Challa paused, before finally deciding to tell her everything. "I asked him to be my consort."

"T'Challa!" Shuri's eyes widened. "You didn't. Now is a terrible time."

"I know. I just... It slipped out. I don't want to pressure him, but I needed him to know what I had in mind for us, for our future. I told him to think about it before he gives me a reply."

Shuri relaxed. "All right. That's reasonable." She eyed him with clever, dark eyes. "You think he'll say yes."

"I think it's what he wants. Whether it'll happen or not... It depends."

"It will happen, my brother," Shuri promised. "As is my sworn oath to Bast, we will make it happen."

"Thank you, Shuri."

"If you want to thank me, make sure you bring your consort home. I want to meet him at last. And of course, you'll have to court him properly."

"I know." T'Challa winced. He'd done that part all wrong. His father would be so disappointed in him if he were here now. "I'll do right by him. It's just been so complicated."

He'd always had to put his own feelings and desires on hold, and today was no different. Shaking himself, T'Challa changed the subject. "I will speak to Tony on what to do next. In the meantime, keep an eye on the Avengers."

"It will be my greatest pleasure, T'Challa. It will be my greatest pleasure."

They ended the call, and T'Challa waited for a few moments, allowing his emotions to settle. He felt better, calmer, after talking to Shuri. His head was clearer, and his anger had settled down somewhat.

He went in search of Tony, and he found him in the cryo lab, staring at Ross's frozen face. "Everything all right?" he whispered.

Tony didn't seem surprised at T'Challa's appearance. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm just... Rusk is coming in."

T'Challa grimaced. Other than Ross, Dell Rusk was one of the main supporters of the anti-superhuman programs. He'd become Secretary of Defense after Ross, and it hadn't been pleasant.

"There's something not right, T'Challa," Tony said. "I didn't tell the others, but... Look at this."

There was another file. It was mostly redacted, very unclear, but it referred to some sort of operation that would take place at Mt. Rushmore.

The information provided was sketchy, but the amount of supplies mentioned was quite frankly enough to draw the eye. "I've tried to look into it with Extremis, but something is holding me back. There's something there, T'Challa. I can feel it."

"Worse than Project Purgatory and the others?"

"I don't know, but let's play our cards close to the chest on this one. I have a feeling we might have to."

****

Steve opened his eyes to the familiar sight of a Wakandan ceiling. One thing he'd noticed about Wakanda was that even their medical rooms were different. Everything was brighter, crisper. For a Brooklyn boy, it had felt so very alien at first, but now, it was reassuring, because he knew he was safe.

That sort of thing just couldn't be reproduced. It helped, because it told Steve he truly was in Wakanda.

Of course, for a brief moment there, he had a flash of a different medical room, one where he'd been before. The machines began to beep alarmingly and even as Steve started to calm down, the doors slid open. A doctor manifested into the room just as Steve shoved off the blankets. "Captain Rogers, please remain in bed," he said. "You were gravely wounded. You need to rest and recover."

"I need to..." His voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat. "I need to know. How is my team?"

"Your team is well. Her Highness has been notified of your recovery and will give you more details. Please remain here."

Steve obeyed, because in all honesty, he didn't feel all right. The last thing he remembered was Ross leaning over him, a mad grin on his face—and then there was only fire and pain and flashes. He could endure a lot—the superserum made sure of it—but Ross had made it his business to counter that.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for T'Challa's sister to show up. Steve took one look at her and he knew something wasn't right. "Your Highness, thank you for coming to see me," he said softly.

"I must have a word with you, Captain Rogers, if you are well."

"Well enough, Your Highness."

Shuri nodded and sat next to his bed. She had always reminded him a little of Peggy, in the sense that she had the same flawless determination that had made Peggy claw her way through a world overwhelmingly led by men, until she had become the director of SHIELD. On her part, Shuri led the elite corps of the Dora Milaje. She wasn't enhanced like T'Challa, but she was intimidating and strong in her own right.

"Captain. It has come to my attention that your team has wronged my brother."

Steve blinked. "What? What happened? I... What did I miss?"

"I do not know if you are aware, but my brother and Mr. Stark are engaged in an intimate relationship."

Tony and T'Challa? Wow, Steve hadn't seen that coming, although he supposed it made sense. They were both very clever, very determined people. They had a lot in common and had been working together for years.

"Your team learned this. There were accusations thrown around. In fact, there was a lot of unpleasantness. Eventually, they were told of your collaboration with Mr. Stark, but that did not go over well either. I will not go into further detail, it is not my place, and my brother has made it clear that your team is still to be welcomed within the boundaries of Wakanda. But I strongly advise you to discuss the matter with them. Do not make the mistake of believing that us receiving you here gives you the right to question Wakanda. Make sure your team does not err again, Captain, else you will all regret it, and the Accords will be the least of your problems. Do we understand each other?"

Steve nodded, feeling a little numb. "Yes. Of course."

"Now, your team will probably want to see you. I will leave you to it. Have a good day, Captain Rogers."

Shuri got up fluidly and left the room before Steve could say anything else. It was just as well, because Steve suspected nothing he could have come up with would have made the situation any better.

As Shuri had said, the team soon piled into the room. Each and every one of them was there, looking unharmed and relieved that he was awake. Sam grinned at him. "Welcome back, man."

"Yeah." Clint twirled an arrow between his fingers. "You missed all the excitement."

"Well, I'm sure you'll tell me all about it."

But nobody wanted to tell him, not really. They all danced around the topic and didn't quite look at him. They didn't seem to resent him for keeping secrets, or if they did, they hid it well.

Vision was, however, conspicuously silent, and he kept his distance from Wanda, which he'd never done in the past. Scott was also pretty quiet. In fact, there were clear signs of strain in the team.

"Guys. What happened?" Steve asked at last.

"It was bad, Steve," Natasha replied. "A lot of it was my fault. You were taken and the situation was very unstable. I'd just heard rumors about the relationship between Tony and King T'Challa. T'Challa told us that Tony has been on our side all along, but it was so difficult to take in. We got you out, with the help of Tony and his team. And then... It just went downhill from there."

"It's not your fault," Clint piped up. "We all reacted badly, me most of all."

"I'm quite certain I did not help," Wanda muttered.

"All right, guys," Steve said slowly. "Don't panic. We can still fix this. Slow down and tell me everything—in detail."

Nat did. It was worse than Steve had thought. What Ross had done was bad enough. Steve had dealt with people like him in the past. But it was Tony that was the core of the issue. Tony had been sick, almost dying, and T'Challa had been the only one by his side. Worse still, there was a project of huge robots meant to hunt down superhumans, a project Tony had managed to stop, but only because he'd sacrificed his principles, sacrificed his own vow never to make weapons again.

His stomach roiled at the thought. Natasha seemed to think the same. "We sort of threw the weapon-building thing in his face. It was... It was really bad, Steve. Tony left, and T'Challa looked like he wanted to rip my throat out with his teeth. I've seen him angry, Steve, when his father died. I've seen him out for blood. He barely raises his voice, you know, but there is a look in his eye... He was furious with us. And whatever he told his sister, she's been giving us the cold shoulder since we got back."

Steve couldn't say he blamed her. What a mess. He should have insisted on them telling the team sooner. But Tony and T'Challa had both said this way was necessary. And maybe it had been. Steve and the rest of the Avengers didn't have the greatest history in trusting Tony Stark.

"There are more projects," Sam said. "It's really messed up. But Steve... There's no way any of us could have gotten close, not without Tony."

"We made a huge mistake," Steve said bleakly.

"Yes, we did," Natasha replied. "I should have known better."

But it wasn't Natasha's fault. She didn't trust her own judgment, not anymore, not since SHIELD had fallen and they'd found out Hydra had infiltrated it. She'd trusted Steve's, though, trusted that he'd know to do the right thing. And it had made sense at the time, because Steve had always stood for freedom, no matter the cost.

Only—hadn't he himself told Fury that soldiers trusted each other? Why hadn't he trusted Tony? Why had he turned his back on his own team?

Steve stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching his own fists. It had been because of Bucky. He'd realized all too well that Tony would eventually find out the truth and he had dreaded Tony's reaction. Tony was known to enact revenge for his losses in the most destructive way possible. Steve had wanted to get Bucky out of the line of fire.

Between Zemo and everything else that had happened, it had cost them so much.

He thought about Bucky's "I don't know if I'm worth all this" and he wondered if Bucky had understood what Steve was doing, if this was yet another thing Bucky would blame himself for when he awoke.

_Not a good soldier, but a good man,_ Erskine had said. Steve didn't feel awfully good at that moment.

He closed his eyes, letting himself process all the information. In his heart, knowing that Tony was still working for the good guys had given him hope that one day, things would go back to the way they'd been, to the Avengers being a team, a family.

He wouldn't give up. There was no way he would give up. He'd find a way to apologize to Tony. That was what the phone had been meant for, as an olive branch. But Tony had never called, not even during the brain tumor thing, and that was for a reason.

"Where are Coulson and the others?" he asked at last.

"Once they made sure you were stable, they left to see if they can follow up on some of the data we recovered. The rest of us are waiting to see if Tony and T'Challa contact us."

"For now, the best thing you can do is recover, Captain Rogers," Vision said, speaking for the first time. "This is not something that can be solved now. We have erred, but no matter how much we might hate this, the situation is temporarily out of our hands."

Steve didn't like to hear that, but Vision had a point. And there was a reason why Nat had told the Avengers to stay here in Wakanda instead of pursuing any possible leads.

They needed to regroup, to reassess their priorities. And first and foremost, Steve needed to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I should have listened. I should have done things differently. I should have at least told you about this."

"We get why you didn't, Cap," Clint said. "Sometimes, that's just the way it works."

"It needed to be believable for Tony to do his job right," Natasha offered.

And of course they got it—Clint and Natasha more than any of the others, because they'd done a lot of undercover work. Even so, he didn't deserve to be given the out. "Still, this is all my fault. It's on me."

Vision shook his head. "We all share blame in this, Captain, especially myself. If you will excuse me..."

With that, Vision phased through the wall. Wanda looked after him with clear longing in her eyes.

Steve wanted to ask if Vision was okay, if they were all okay, but that was clearly a futile question. Nothing was okay. Everything had started to go amiss, to fall apart—and it wasn't something new.

The team scattered, with various well-wishes sent Steve's way. Natasha was the only one who stayed, and Steve let himself ask the question he hadn't asked in front of the others.

"What's your call, Nat? Is their any chance that Tony might give us another chance?"

"Don't think so, Steve. He didn't even trust his new team with the information. There's no way he'd trust us, ever again. We'll be lucky if we manage to one day work together, but what we had... It's lost. Forever."

Yeah. That was what Steve had thought. The Avengers—their real team—were gone, and it was Steve's fault.


	8. Nemesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos. It really provides inspiration and it helps me write more than you know.  
> I also appreciate the Team Cap vs. Team Tony debate in the comments. This story is, as mentioned in the tags, a fix it, and I have always understood both sides of the argument. It's actually very interesting for me to hear other people's points of view, even if they're not on my side or have different opinions.  
> Anyway, onwards to the chapter!

Dell Rusk arrived at the New Avengers Facility with a host of soldiers in his wake. "Mr. Stark. What is the meaning of this?"

"That's my line," Tony drawled. "I gotta say, I did not expect my first act as Director of SWORD to be neutralizing the former Secretary of Defense. Last I checked, we were trying to keep superhumans in check, not make more. Was I wrong?"

Rusk was clearly not happy with the situation. In fact, the hostility in his stance was more obvious than ever.

Tony had never liked the guy. He had watched helplessly as Rusk had risen to power, and he'd done as much damage control as possible, but even he could only do so much. It was still satisfying to know that Rusk hated his guts as much as Tony hated him.

"That is not the problem at this time," Rusk said. "The problem is that Captain Rogers was in captivity, and you let the Avengers get away."

"Rogers," Tony repeated blankly. "You're kidding me right now."

Rusk crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Do you deny it?"

"I'm not doing this with you. There'll be a report for the UN by tomorrow."

And it felt good to know that he could do that, and still be following the rules—because he was director of SWORD. Fuck you very much, Rusk.

Rusk glowered at him. "Very well. We will retrieve General Ross from your custody."

"No. He was captured by my team, and he will stay here. No other facility is equipped to handle him at this time. Even the one in Alaska is inferior compared to what we have here."

"No offense to you, Mr. Stark, but this is not exactly the safest location."

"Oh, but I disagree. Don't worry. I have plenty of contingencies in place." An armor emerged from behind the bar. "Drink?"

It was one of the older suits, the ones Tony had rebuilt shortly after the Mandarin. After Ultron, he'd scrapped the Iron Legion idea, but the suits had stayed, and FRIDAY could control them just like JARVIS had.

Of course, so could Tony—and he didn't even need a remote interface, not like before.

He'd dispatched the suits all around the facility and had activated the automated defense systems after he'd moved back to New York. After all, Tony had a lot of stuff here, and while the facility was secure, he wasn't an idiot. He knew how many people would sell their souls for Stark tech. He was quite done with leaving his technology in the wrong hands.

"Secretary Rusk, don't take this the wrong way, but there is a reason why the facility is safe even if it isn't staffed. Given what I've seen so far of how security is handled by the army, I'm going to go with something I checked and double checked."

"Mr. Stark, you don't have the authority to do this."

"Well, actually, I do. But if you have a problem with it, bring it up with the rest of the WSC, and I'll be sure to address their concerns."

As he spoke, T'Challa emerged from another room. He was so silent that nobody even noticed his presence at first. "Ah, Secretary Rusk," he said. "It is as always, a pleasure to see you."

Rusk turned toward T'Challa and offered him a tight smile. "King T'Challa. I was not aware you were here."

"I was visiting on business when I became aware of the problem. I offered Mr. Stark my assistance."

The assistance of the king of Wakanda was not, in fact, limited to the vibranium daggers of the Black Panther. This became obvious when the jeeps bearing the flag of Wakanda started to pull in.

On short notice, Tony couldn't really get staff he trusted, and he didn't want to involve employees from the tower. The loyalty of the Wakandan people was, however, absolute. They were not aware of all the behind the scenes machinations, of course, but they were completely dedicated to their king. Never had news of the Avengers been let out, even if they'd taken refuge in Wakandan embassies before.

The men and women began poring out, and while their number was not high, it was more than enough to keep the situation in check until Tony could make other arrangements.

"I'll also be contacting my team if needed, although I doubt it will become necessary. Does this satisfy you?"

Rusk pressed his lips together. He was obviously displeased, but there was only so much he could do.

Rusk was a member of the World Security Council, but T'Challa was the king of the most advanced country on Earth. Everyone knew that it was not a good idea to piss him off. The political balance was a delicate one, and in this, Tony knew he was not wrong. It was far too risky to transport Ross to another facility, since the cryo freeze would wear off and by then, he was liable to escape and do untold damage.

This wasn't over, obviously—chances were Rusk would take it to a higher level—but for the moment, Tony could hold his ground.

"Yes, Mr. Stark. Thank you for your service."

Rusk left shortly after that. Tony took some time to make arrangements for T'Challa's staff, then pulled his lover aside. "That went well," he commented, passing a hand through his hair.

"As well as could be expected, at least."

"We need to investigate Rushmore, and we need to do it now. Rusk was very angry. He's going to do something, and given what's been happening until now... I just... I don't like it."

"That was my feeling as well," T'Challa admitted. "Do you want to bring the Avengers in on this?"

Tony hesitated for a moment, before finally nodding. "Yes. We might need them. Call them in. But the Fantastic Four and Carol first."

The calls were put through. Tony didn't give any explanations. He just said he needed them to come in. The line was secure—Tony made sure of it—but he needed to talk to his people face to face before they were going to do this.

In the meantime, T'Challa contacted Wakanda again. Tony was tempted to listen in on that conversation, but in the end, he didn't. He trusted T'Challa to make arrangements for him.

Carol and the Fantastic Four arrived within the next hour. "I admit, Tony," Reed said, "I didn't expect you to call us back so soon."

"Yes, well... It's a complicated situation. Dell Rusk dropped by. He wanted the package we have in the freezer."

"That's not good." Carol scowled. "I don't trust that man in the slightest."

"Yeah... Listen. There's a project Rusk is in charge of. There were a few files on it that you found, but it's all very vague and sketchy. I want to check it out."

"If it's so vague, what do you find so suspicious about it?" Reed asked, because of course he could always pinpoint the holes in Tony's more hand-wavey explanations, and he'd been doing a lot of that lately.

"I can't hack into their security. I've tried, but it hasn't worked."

"But that's not so strange, is it?" Ben asked. "I mean, I know you're a genius, Tony, but not even you can do everything."

Tony shared a look with T'Challa. T'Challa nodded, a barely perceivable gesture. All right. It looked like it was time to take a leap of faith.

"Okay. I'm going to tell you something, but it can't leave this room. If it does, we're going to have a huge problem on our hands."

"More secrets, Tony?" Sue asked, a small scowl on her face.

"Well, sort of. My Extremis... It's not just a healing power. I can... It's become a sort of technopathy. I can control technology in my mind. I can see code, hack into practically anything in the world."

Reed's eyes widened, which was sort of hilarious, since his expressions were always more exaggerated than those of normal people. "You're the reason the Sentinels don't work."

"Pretty much. But this... This Mt. Rushmore project. They have something there, and I can't touch it. It's making me really nervous. It could be nothing, but these days, I tend to err on the side of caution."

"Can't say I blame you for that, Tony," Johnny offered. "Well, I'm in. Just point me where I need to go. I have some frustration I have to burn out."

"For the moment, it's going to be a stealth mission first. But don't worry, Johnny. I have a feeling you might make something explode by the time the day is over."

****

The preparations for the mission lasted longer than Tony would have liked. Between him procuring his special Stealth Extremis armor and the Secret Avengers traveling from Wakanda, it was well into the evening before they met up at Mr. Rushmore.

That was just as well, because the dark would help them sneak in.

It was, predictably, awkward. Just as predictably, Steve had insisted to come. He wasn't up for fighting yet, but he hadn't wanted to be left behind in Wakanda either.

They needed to talk, and soon. There was still so much unfinished business between them. But right now, Tony's personal relationships didn't matter.

"Right. So here's the deal. I have reason to believe that this base holds something suspicious. I haven't been able to find anything on it, though, and it could be my own paranoia, so I want to keep things on the down low until we're sure what we're dealing with."

"Do we know what they're equipped with? Standard surveillance?"

"I literally have no idea, Cap," Tony admitted. "That's part of what makes me so suspicious. I'm thinking to send Vision ahead."

As much as Tony sometimes hated to admit it, Vision was a God-send for stealth-ops. Since he was an android, he could basically bypass a lot of infrared sensors undetected. His own advanced sensors allowed him to dodge other security measures and his phasing kept him from running into guards. Redwing was very useful too, but under some circumstances, the little drone just wasn't enough.

"There are going to be cameras, so you're getting upgrades."

Tony tossed his newest invention at Vision. "It's a mobile stealth unit. It should keep you out of trouble, with one caveat. I've only tested in the lab." It was actually based a lot on Sue's powers. Stealth tech wasn't new, but the problem with it was that it needed a lot of power. It worked out for vehicles like the jet or the helicarrier, and obviously for Tony's own armor, but for people, not so much.

Vision smiled a little. "I think I will be fine, Mr. Stark."

Tony gave the android a stern look, before finally saying. "Yeah, okay. I'm going in with you anyway."

There was predictably confusion and protests all around—except from T'Challa, who knew exactly what Tony had in mind. "The armor has stealth module incorporated and keeps me isolated from any sensor known to man."

"Okay then." Cap let out a breath. "Tony and Vision go in. The rest of us need to get ready."

Tony left Steve in charge of giving the orders to his own team. T'Challa stayed with Carol and the others. "Be careful, Tony," T'Challa told him.

"I will," Tony said, winking. "I still owe you an answer, after all."

Together with Vision, Tony headed toward the facility. It was well hidden, which didn't give Tony any good feelings about this whole operation. The amount of guards in the area was, plainly put, obscene.

Vision glided noiselessly through the air by his side, and it was both eerily familiar yet not, the hum of JARVIS's code still hidden underneath the android's skin. Tony didn't let it distract him, though. They had a job to do.

It soon became obvious that their infiltration wouldn't be as easy and smooth as Tony had hoped. Tony noticed the force field just moments before he and Vision could run into it and stopped Vision just in time.

"Okay. I guess that answers that."

"What is it, Tony?" Carol asked. "What's wrong?"

"There's some sort of force field around the base."

"Like the one at the Hydra facility?" Cap asked. "Can you take it down?"

It took Tony about two seconds to figure out a reply to that. "Negative, Cap. Not without making a lot of noise, definitely." It would also take a lot of juice, and Tony wasn't looking forward going into battle with his armor already on low power. Not to mention that, technically speaking, he wasn't supposed to be here.

"If there is a force field, there must be a power source," Wanda offered. "In Sokovia, it was the scepter. There must be something similar here."

Silence reigned over the coms as everyone processed that. The scepter was clearly no longer an issue, but if the army had managed to acquire and build something along that line, they were in trouble.

"The gem could shatter the force field," Vision offered tentatively, "but as Mr. Stark put it, it will make a lot of noise."

"Don't think we have much choice," Tony mumbled. "My team and I will stay out of the proverbial limelight. Avengers, you're on distraction."

"Well, if there's anything we're good at, it's making a lot of noise," Clint said.

They reassessed their positions, with Tony and his team backing off a bit to give the Avengers room. "Okay, Vision. You're up. On my mark, go. One, two. Mark."

Vision had grown quite a lot since the time of their fateful airport battle. He managed to focus the beam of the gem with ease. The force field rippled, becoming visible to the eye, before finally shattering with a burst of energy that made Tony flinch.

Vision flew in, and Tony followed, still in stealth mode. The soldiers were very much distracted by the Avengers, who seemed to be having a lot of fun blowing up vehicles and taking down their opponents. At this point, the Avengers fought like a well-oiled machine, and they were also careful to keep the damage non-lethal. Really, even if the soldiers shot to kill, they didn't stand a chance.

It was reminiscent of the countless battles they'd fought together when they'd been hunting for the scepter, years ago, and not for the first time, Tony felt a pang of yearning, wishing things could have been different. But what had been done could not be undone, and now was not the time to worry about it. He had more important things to focus on. Such as the fact that he was apparently in the middle of a massive energetic anomaly.

The readings were off the charts. Now that they were beyond the force field, it became obvious that whatever was inside was not only very powerful, but very, very dangerous.

"Christ. Guys, be careful. This is bad. I haven't seen readings like this since New York."

There were curses all around. New York was when they'd first assembled, yes, but it had still been a tough fight. It was very rare for Tony to mention it at all—for obvious reasons.

Tony directed his attention to his own team. "T'Challa, come after us. Sue, keep them invisible. The noise the Avengers are making should hide you fine."

On the ground, Wanda was blocking bullets and rockets, while Clint shot arrow after arrow. Natasha was doing her crazy ninja assassin thing—to this day, Tony had trouble figuring out how she did it, and he had Extremis. Vision was acting as a replacement Hulk, blowing up the turrets and cannons, all the while frustrating people tremendously since whenever they tried to shoot him, he just let the bullets phase through him. Tony couldn't see Lang at first, but he must have been on one of Clint's arrows, because a group of soldiers suddenly starting falling like dominoes.

Coulson and his team provided backup—and Tony had to admire the guy for somehow looking unruffled even in such an intense firefight. He had somehow procured the Destroyer gun he'd used on Loki, and what Vision didn't hit, he targeted.

And because Steve Rogers was Steve Rogers, he predictably rushed in as well, in all his star-spangled glory. "Seriously, Cap..." Tony breathed out. "You're fucking kidding me right now."

"Language," Cap said automatically.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't get blown up, for God's sake."

With the Avengers providing distraction, it was easy for Tony to make his way past the guards. He was already inside the building when Clint's voice came through the coms, "These people are putting on gas masks. I don't know about you, but that makes me real nervous."

It made Tony pretty nervous too. High energy output and potentially toxic gases? Yeah, he'd definitely hit pay dirt.

"Tony, I think we should..."

Whatever Carol thought became inaudible, because Tony's coms were suddenly filled with static. Fortunately, the reactor held fast and the displays continued to respond—because if that hadn't been the case, Tony would have been in trouble.

He emerged into a massive room that looked like something out of a B-grade supervillain movie, complete with strange glowing receptacles and chains with hooks on them. There were, naturally, surveillance screens, fortunately all focused on the Avengers—Tony's team was still unnoticed.

Tony himself wasn't so lucky. A pulse of energy shot through the room, and Tony's stealth module died on him. Tony turned, only to see Dell Rusk standing in front of him. "Welcome, Mr. Stark. How nice of you to drop by."

He was on his own, still dressed in the same outfit he'd worn when he'd come to the New Avengers facility. He was also holding a receptacle that contained the Tesseract.

For one precious moment, Tony froze. That couldn't be right. They'd given it to Thor, an eternity ago, back after the Chitauri attack. It was supposed to be on Asgard. How was it here?

Well, however Rusk had done it, the Tesseract was clearly too dangerous to be in his hands. It was regrettable that Tony had been spotted, but he'd deal with the consequences later.

He didn't bother with the classical "it's over" speech. That was just dumb. Instead, he shot a light repulsor blast at Rusk.

It was supposed to unbalance him. He didn't want to kill the guy, after all. It was also a test, and as suspected, the repulsor bounced off a shield very similar to what had been around the Tesseract in New York.

"Okay. That's not good. FRIDAY, can you hear me?"

Static. Perfect. In all likelihood, Tony could only control the armor because of Extremis, and he had no idea how long he could keep that up. He could already feel a slight migraine pounding at his skull.

It only occurred to Tony that his migraine may not be caused by the building pressure when he saw the gas starting to fill the room. The armor filtering systems were supposed to hold any bio agent at bay, but the armor wasn't exactly at its best right now.

"What the hell are you doing, Rusk?" he choked out. God, he hoped Extremis was strong enough to fight whatever gas Rusk had unleashed.

Rusk laughed. "What I started, a long time ago. I have to say, it was so fortunate to see the Avengers split up on their own. It was the perfect opening for me to take my place once again. Sweet irony, isn't it, that a rebellion started by own nemesis gave me room to work?"

The Tesseract began to glow brighter. Rusk's face started to peel off eerily. Behind it was the too familiar view of a grinning Red Skull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert evil cliffhanger music


	9. Last Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after this chapter, there'll probably be only one or two chapters left :) As ever, thank you so much for the amazing feedback and support.  
> One thing I have to say: I did not actually make up most of this stuff. It's stuff from the comics, which I adapted into a storyline of my own - kind of like the MCU-verse does for their scripts. Dell Rusk belongs to Marvel 100%. I do think the Rushmore incident was before the SHRA in the comics, but eh, details. LOL.

T'Challa knew something was wrong from the very moment his lover rushed into the building. He couldn't have said what told him it was so. He chalked it up to his frazzled nerves and his natural protectiveness after a less than ideal day.

And then, the communicators cut off and the gas started to fill the entire facility.

Wanda Maximoff attempted to funnel the gas away, but she was only moderately successful in keeping it from her group. T'Challa and his team were somewhat further away, but whatever agent was in the air was spreading fast. Fortunately it seemed the strange gas couldn't bypass Susan Storm's shields, although it was clearly very strenuous for her to keep it at bay.

More alarmingly, the people who had been staffing the base hadn't even seemed aware of what the gas could do. For all that they were wearing gas masks, they succumbed first, sliding to the ground like puppets with their strings cut.

Out of the human Avengers, only the Captain seemed to have immunity to the gas. Everyone else was coughing and shying away, which was very unfortunate, since the Captain was still not at full strength. There was, naturally, the Vision, but for whatever reason, he couldn't approach either.

"There's some sort of interference," he told T'Challa as their group approached. "I fear my systems would be seriously damaged if I attempted to get closer."

"Tony went in with the armor," Johnny Storm pointed out. "That's not good."

"No, no, it isn't," T'Challa said darkly.

"Your Highness, the gas is spreading too quickly. We have to evacuate. I don't know if we have any chance of saving the soldiers, but if it keeps spreading, there's no telling what damage it could do."

T'Challa understood what Reed Richards wasn't saying. They needed to destroy the entire facility—but Tony was still inside.

There was no way T'Challa was going to leave him.

The ground shook and a pulse of power echoed all around them. In that moment, T'Challa knew he could not hesitate any longer, nor could he wait.

He burst free of the rest of the group and ran forward, ignoring anyone who tried to reach for him.

Fortunately, as he had hoped, his own enhanced physique protected him from the gas. At this point, the grounds were mostly clear. The others, save for the Captain, could not follow. They were all forced to remain next to Maximoff and Susan Storm in the hope of surviving the gas.

It wasn't difficult to find Tony. His enhanced senses easily led him in the right direction, not that it would have been hard to pinpoint even for a normal human. The sound of fighting soon reached T'Challa's ears, loud and jarring.

He entered the massive chamber just in time to see the Red Skull throw Tony against the wall.

If T'Challa had had any expectations about who they were going in to face, it wouldn't have been this. Naturally, T'Challa knew all about the Red Skull. Wakanda had not gotten involved in that particular war, but he had learned of it, and he knew it had been a close call. If the Red Skull's plans had succeeded, Wakanda would have been forced to go to war as well. But T'Challa had believed the mad scientist had died, killed by the weapon he himself had attempted to master.

Apparently, that was not the case. The Red Skull was very much alive, and he had the Tesseract back.

It still didn't make T'Challa falter. He jumped at the Skull, his vibranium daggers already in his hands. They collided with the shield around the Skull, showering T'Challa with sparks.

T'Challa leaped back and landed in a crouch. "So the young king of Wakanda emerges," the Skull said. "Most excellent. I was hoping to draw you here."

T'Challa slid around the room, trying to find an opening in the Skull's defenses. "Were you really?"

"Indeed. Oh, my, it's really quite unfortunate that the great king T'Chaka perished in that tragic explosion. A nation like Wakanda... Much too dangerous to be led by someone so young. It was only a matter of time until they did something regrettable—such as release an unstable bio agent upon the world."

Ah. So the Skull had wanted to blame this on Wakanda. In a way, T'Challa supposed he'd opened himself and his land to retaliation when he'd gotten close to Tony Stark. But even if he could have changed that choice, he wouldn't have.

"Regrettable indeed, especially since Wakanda doesn't need bio weapons to assert its superiority. We deal in metal, not viruses."

That was both true and not. Wakanda did research in every single field of science. Anything different would have been idiotic. In truth, T'Challa didn't know how the Skull had planned to frame him, but he certainly was not going to wait to find out.

"You will soon learn, King T'Challa, that it is easy to make people believe something when they want to believe it. They definitely believed Dell Rusk. But not to fear, you won't be around to worry about that."

That was the only warning T'Challa got before a burst of power emanated from the cube. The Black Panther garb had a level of energy absorption, but it was not meant to protect against that kind of damage. He danced to the side, out of the way of the wave of power. And not a moment too soon, because the spot where he'd been was simply obliterated. Nothing—not even a trace of the floor—remained behind. There was just a massive hole, literally, a hole in the fabric of reality. Not an encouraging development.

All the while, T'Challa processed what the Skull had said. Dell Rusk. It was an anagram. The Skull had been around the whole time, pulling strings, manipulating the World Security Council. It was nauseating just to think about it.

Before the Skull could strike out at T'Challa again, a familiar shield flew through the air, ricocheting against the force field around the Skull and the metal walls of the building, before finally returning to the hands of its owner.

"We beat you once. We can do it again."

The Captain looked pale, having obviously not expected to be confronted with his old nemesis. To his credit, he stood his ground and showed no other sign of how disturbed he must have been. Because yet again, the Captain had learned that his sacrifice had amounted to nothing—Hydra was still very much present, and even the Red Skull had returned. It couldn't possibly be easy to accept.

The Red Skull clearly knew this, because he taunted the Captain in a way he had not with T'Challa. "Ah, Captain, but I am not the same man I was. I have seen worlds you cannot even begin to fathom, and you are still, as you yourself have admitted, just a kid from Brooklyn."

The self-deprecating quote was marked with a blast from the cube. The Captain lifted his shield—and no, that wasn't a good idea.

T'Challa cried out a warning, but it was too late. The blast hit the captain's shield dead on. He wasn't vaporized, but the sheer power behind the blast send him flying against the wall. He slumped to the floor and didn't move.

"This is how it ends, little king," the Red Skull told T'Challa. "This is how you die. I will slaughter you and where you stand, and your lover will be next. I am quite certain the Captain will enjoy the show."

The cube began to glow brighter, so bright it was almost blinding. T'Challa steadied himself. It was a powerful weapon, but it was slow, slower than him.

The Skull didn't get the chance to shoot. The unibeam hit him from behind, making the force field flare and ripple. "You know what. Fuck you. You're not touching him."

Tony was standing again, leaning against the wall, but standing. His eyes glowed blue and the Extremis armor seemed to be moving solely through the power of Tony's will. "I've lost enough to Hydra. Never again."

T'Challa cursed Tony's recklessness, all the while praying to Bast that it would be enough, that the unibeam would give him an opening. But even as he thought this, he knew better than to truly expect it.

The unibeam was powerful, but Tony had tried something similar once before during the Chitauri invasion and it had not worked. It was only a distraction.

Tony's eyes were fierce and determined as he stood his ground against the Skull. He didn't say anything, not out loud. He simply mouthed, "Run."

T'Challa shook his head. Intellectually, he realized it would probably be a better call—to cut their losses and retreat, regroup with the Avengers, find a solution to the bio weapon. If he died here, no one might even know the Red Skull was responsible, and Wakanda might truly be blamed.

But the idea of leaving Tony was so fundamentally repellant to him that he couldn't consider it, not for a second.

"How touching. A love story for the ages. I'm sure it will be a comfort for your friends that you will die..."

"Oh, do shut up."

The blast came out of nowhere, and it cut off whatever smug quip the Skull was about to deliver. Unlike the unibeam, this one actually did damage. The shield cracked, and the Skull screamed as the cube fell out of his grip.

Another figure emerged from the shadows, clad in a garb of leather and metal. In a flash, he was next to the Skull, picking up the cube and making it disappear... somewhere. "Mortals. You always toy with dangerous things, and you never know when to stop."

This was not a good day for T'Challa. Indeed, he must have forgotten to give an offering to Bast lately, because first the Red Skull, now Loki? Not a good day indeed.

Tony being Tony, he couldn't help but step in on the conversation. "Now's really not the best time, Reindeer Games."

"I disagree. Clearly, you were not doing a very good job before. Although I must commend you two for the effort." Loki pursed his lips, as if displeased. The gold spear in his hand glinted ominously. "The others... Not so much."

"W-What...?" The Skull stammered. "H-How? You're dead. He said you were dead."

"Did he really? Well, even he can be deceived."

T'Challa did not know what they were talking about, but in the end, it didn't really matter, because whatever strength had been keeping Tony standing finally failed him. T'Challa got there just in time to catch his lover.

"I would have said yes," Tony whispered. A trickle of blood escaped his lips. His eyes flickered between blue and chocolate brown. "Sorry, babe."

T'Challa was reminded of a different moment, a different time when he'd lost someone else he had loved. He had not gotten the chance to say goodbye then. He had not been able to reach his father in time.

Apparently, some things never changed. "Don't apologize. It is all well. We will meet again in the fields of the Panther God."

"That sounds nice," Tony said hazily.

T'Challa clutched Tony tighter. Rebellion and anger rose in his chest. No, Tony wasn't lost yet. There was still something left to try.

Sometimes, the Panther God had odd envoys. T'Challa looked up at Loki. "Can you help him?"

"I don't know," Loki said, and his voice seemed to hold genuine regret. Somewhere in the background, the Red Skull lay slumped against the floor, immobilized by emerald magic. "I am not a healer. But I will try. We need to get him out of here first. It is the gas that is killing him."

T'Challa nodded shakily. "Try. Whatever it takes."

"Very well. Please bring him closer."

T'Challa complied. Loki retrieved the Captain from where he'd fallen, and with a wave of his golden spear, teleported all of them out of the building.

They emerged outside, in the courtyard. Distantly, T'Challa noted that out here, the air was clear. It smelled like ozone and stormy skies. It was still raining slightly.

Thor bounded to their side, providing the answer to what had happened. "Brother. You have subdued the villain?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, the Man of Iron is badly injured. Move, Thor. I need room."

T'Challa could do nothing but release his lover in the hold of the God of Mischief, and hope he was not making a horrible mistake.

****

When Tony opened his eyes, the first thing that occurred to him was "not again". Since Extremis, falling unconscious or getting badly hurt had become a rare occurrence. He was literally out of practice when it came to handling serious injury. And now, within the span of a day, he'd gotten knocked out not one, but twice.

Loki's face appeared in his field of vision, making the situation even stranger. Tony blinked up at the God of Mischief. His fingers itched for a repulsor. He sort of wanted to reach for Extremis and see if he could detect any sort of weapon nearby.

He decided not to, because the migraine pounding at his skull wasn't encouraging. "You know, I've been doing this a lot lately. Last time I woke up to something more pleasant."

"Come now, Man of Iron," Loki drawled. "I saved your life. A thank you would be appreciated."

Tony thought about what he remembered last, mentally winced at his asshole "last words" to T'Challa, and decided that he definitely owed Loki some gratitude. "Thank you, then, Reindeer Games. Really grateful for the intervention there."

Loki actually looked surprised at the reply, which was a little strange. But all things considered, Tony had experienced far weirder things.

He got up, supporting himself against the headboard. "Where are we?"

"You are in Wakanda," a female voice said from the doorway. "I finally managed to convince my brother to tear himself away from your side, but he is liable to return any moment now."

Come to think of it, Tony should have recognized the architecture as Wakandan, but he'd never actually been here and he'd only ever seen it in the occasional picture T'Challa showed him. "You must me Shuri. I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you." She smiled at him, and in her eyes, Tony saw T'Challa. "Granted, this is not the way I imagined our first meeting to go, but welcome to Wakanda nonetheless."

"Thank you. Where is everyone? What happened?"

"We've received strong instructions not to burden you with excessive information until you are at full strength," Loki said, thinly veiled amusement in his voice. "King T'Challa was most adamant on this."

Tony gave Loki an unimpressed look. "Well, clearly, I'm fine now, so spill."

Loki did not, in fact, spill, not until T'Challa showed up, which fortunately only took about thirty seconds longer. Wherever he had been, he'd clearly run straight here. "Welcome back," he said with a smile.

"Thanks. And sorry. About what happened."

"I told you not to apologize."

At least half a dozen doctors flooded the room after T'Challa, looking Tony over, taking tests, asking him questions. Tony's irritation scaled to the point where he was tempted to blow something up. Loki stood to the side, looking amused, while T'Challa leaned against the wall, watching in silence.

It was T'Challa that kept Tony where he was. He still grumbled—because when didn't he do it?—but he made no attempt to escape the doctors.

He wasn't sure if the staff was privy to what had happened at the facility so he held his questions back until the doctors finally declared him on the mend. By then, Tony still felt a little weak, but his head was clearing more and more. The migraine was already settling, and Extremis was perking up once again.

"How long was I out?"

"A full day," T'Challa reported. "You were actually fortunate. If not for your enhancements, you'd have died like the soldiers at the facility."

Tony remembered all the people he'd seen guarding the place and went cold. "You're kidding me."

T'Challa shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Would you like to see the others now? Much has happened, and I'm assuming you wish to be kept informed."

Tony nodded, appreciating the fact that T'Challa wasn't trying to keep him out of the loop like Loki had said. As it turned out, his team—or rather, teams—had been waiting outside, because as soon as T'Challa gave the cue, all of them were scuttling into the room.

It was tense. Clint kept a noticeable distance from Loki, all the while looking like he still wanted to put an arrow through Loki's eye socket. Natasha stuck to Clint's side. Thor, on the other hand, made a beeline for his brother, which was disconcerting to say the least since the last time Tony had seen them they'd been trying to kill one another. Vision glided toward Tony and Wanda awkwardly followed him. Cap was not far behind. Tony's own team joined Thor, if only because the other part of the room was occupied by Avengers and there was clearly still a divide.

"Well... This is awkward," he said, because how could he not do it. "Care to fill me in then?"

T'Challa waved toward Loki. "Please. This is your story to tell."

T'Challa looked downright welcoming toward the God of Mischief, which made sense given that Loki had saved Tony's life. Loki sketched a short bow, just as courteous. "Thank you. Your teams already know most of this, Man of Iron, but since you have been unconscious, I will reiterate the facts for you. I believe you are familiar with most of the events surrounding my fight with Thor prior to his return with Asgard a few Midgardian years ago?"

Tony nodded. Thor hadn't often talked about his brother, but there were moments, after a battle, when he turned and made a comment that was addressed to Loki. He always remembered himself quickly, but not before the entire team noticed. Personally, Tony had never blamed him for it, but for a while Thor had gone to see Jane after those incidents. At one point—Tony could never quite figure out when—he'd stopped, instead choosing to get drunk on Asgardian mead and bond over his loss with Cap. More than once, Tony had ended up with them, because as much as he hated to admit it, he cared about the big oaf. Well, about both the big oafs.

So yes, he knew about the debacle with Thor's exile—in bits and pieces, at least, since Thor had never been very clear about it, since he himself didn't know the whole story—Loki's apparent suicide, then his heroic death in the confrontation with the dark elves. Thor had once told Tony that he should find Loki's heroism a comfort, but he truly didn't, because for all that Loki had died with honor, he was still gone.

Satisfied with Tony's silent replied, Loki continued, "Well, what you don't know is that when I fell from the Bifrost, I was captured by a wicked, mad creature. And yes, one far more wicked and far madder than me, Agent Barton, thank you. He is known as the Mad Titan and he is in love with death. I was sent here to acquire the Tesseract so that he could offer the whole of Midgard as a sort of... wooing present."

"Wooing... present," Tony repeated. "What."

"There is in fact, a physical manifestation of Death, Man of Iron, which the Titan is devoted to. But we'll get into that at a later time. While I was on Midgard, I attempted to shakeoff his hold over me. Agent Romanov did in fact divine my plan—I did indeed come for the Hulk when on the helicarrier. However, what I sought was him hitting me, instead of hitting your people. Alas, it did not work out exactly as I had planned, and by the time the green beast found me, the portal was already open. Unfortunate, although I suppose the weapon you sent did do some damage among the Titan's troops, so there is that."

"I don't know about you, but I'd have preferred not to have to been forced to hand deliver it," Tony replied blankly. Not that he blamed Loki for it—weirdly, he didn't—but still, the memory haunted him.

"I can understand that." And come to think of it, Loki probably could, given that he'd apparently fallen through a black hole in space.

Fortunately, Loki didn't dwell on that point for too long. It was likely not a pleasant memory for him either. "In any case, upon our return on Asgard, I attempted to convince the All-Father of the imminent threat, but my words were dismissed as lies. I was promptly imprisoned for all eternity and left to rot in the dungeons, with the only one showing interest in my existence being my mother. Indeed, Thor took great pains to point out that I was no longer his brother and whatever good he had seen in me was long gone."

Thor's grip on Mjolnir tightened, and he looked away, as if he couldn't quite face his brother. Tony suspected that was the whole point of Loki's words, since there was no real reason why Loki would offer that amount of detail to the people who had been his foes.

That detailed part made it even more obvious when he next skipped a big part of the story. He made no mention at all of his mother's death, or anything that had happened on Asgard during that incident. "As you are aware, Thor did in fact free me during the dark elf attack and I was presumed dead. Obviously, I did not perish, although I was grievously wounded. My original intention was to find refuge in a neutral realm, perhaps Alfheim or Vanaheim, and I returned to Asgard only briefly, planning to solidify their belief that I was indeed dead. Unfortunately, the All-Father was maddened with grief and promptly fell into the Odinsleep. I could hardly rely on Thor to rebuild the crumbling Asgard, so once again I was left to take the throne."

"Wait, so you've been king? All this time?"

"Well, yes, although I did use Odin's guise, so it's not like anyone knew about it." Loki shrugged. "In any case, I rebuilt Asgard's defenses in preparation of the Titan's attack—which will come, for all that you have delayed it. And then Thor returned."

"After my vision, I was given reason to believe my brother might still be alive and up to his regular mischief," Thor piped up. "What I found was very different, although, indeed, I might not have listened at all had Surtur not attacked Asgard."

Loki waved a hand and conjured the image of something that looked like a fire-breathing giant. The being walked on two legs, but had dark skin, with glowing veins reminiscent of the lava lines on a volcano. "We have been fighting in Asgard for the past couple of years. The Bifrost was destroyed once again and many were lost. Thor was greatly pained at the news of what was occurring on Midgard, but he could not make his way back until we had felled Surtur."

"So he's dead now."

"Yes, fortunately, although it was most difficult." Thor squeezed his brother's shoulder. "We could not have done it without Loki."

Tony had a feeling there was plenty Loki and Thor had not said, since those guys had more baggage than the entire Avengers team put together. But that wasn't any of his business, and none of his concern right now. "Well... Congrats I guess. But what I want to know... How does the Skull fit in all this? Did you guys lose the Tesseract in the war?" Maybe it was insensitive of him to poke like that, but the more time passed, the more Tony became aware of the mess the Skull had likely left behind.

Loki rolled his eyes. "I am getting there, Man of Iron. No, the Tesseract remains safe. But you see, the Tesseract is, much like the scepter, only a containment capsule for the true power hidden inside. In the Tesseract's case, this power is the Space Gem. Items such as the Tesseract are called cosmic cubes, and other cubes can be created, with other power sources—not as intense as the Tesseract, of course, but still powerful. I am told that Schmidt made use of the Tesseract during his previous war with the Captain. He was believed dead, but it seems that the Space Stone actually transported him elsewhere. He met with the Titan, and he is the one who provided Schmidt with the means to proceed with his plan."

Well that wasn't good. And here Tony had thought things were complicated the day before, when he'd only had to worry about human politics.

"I will of course provide you with a more detailed briefing on the Titan's skills and armies," Loki said. "Fortunately, his mind control abilities are now limited, since he lost the Mind Stone to your construct, but he is still more powerful than anything you have encountered."

"Yeah, I'm getting that message loud and clear." Tony mentally sighed and reassessed his current plans. "What about the Skull?"

"He is a captive here, under the watch of the Doras," T'Challa offered.

Tony looked around at the mostly silent group that had gathered in his room. Weirdly, they all seemed to be looking to him. It was a question—what now?

Tony shoved the blankets off him and slid out of bed. "Okay, guys. Here's what we're going to do."

It was much later, once the plan was finally in place, that Tony got a moment alone with T'Challa. They had relocated to a meeting room that opened to a massive view of the beautiful Wakandan jungle, complete with the imposing statue of a black panther.

Tony looked from the stone feline to the actual two-legged one in the room and decided, what the hell. "So, hey. I know it's not over yet, but I sort of gave you the answer in a massively bad situation. So to avoid any further confusion... What are we know? Fiances? Am I your betrothed? What? Are you wooing me? I hear I'm high maintenance, but at least I don't require whole planets being destroyed."

He snapped his mouth shut when he realized he had dissolved into something embarrassingly akin to a rant. T'Challa arched a dark brow. "Please don't make that comparison. Yes, there will be a courtship, and yes, you will be my consort, but for the moment, I'll be happy with just holding you."

He did exactly that. And for all that Tony had gotten some pretty bad news today, he felt freer and more optimistic than he had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know the chapter title is evil, but I had no idea what name to give it without spoiling the actual chapter too much. No, my snow cuddle bunny wasn't in the original comic event, but I've ignored him for too long. And there's a ton of art - what are Thor and Loki doing during CW, watching and eating popcorn over lols? This is probably not what will happen in Ragnarok, but again, details.


	10. Fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the great response, you guys! Wow, I can't believe this story has hit 500 kudos. You're all awesome.   
> To celebrate - have a new chapter! Enjoy!

In a perfect world, given that they had all just learned that a ninety year old Nazi has been masquerading as an important member of the WSC, the matter would go directly to the UN and everyone would immediately apologize to the superheroes for misjudging them. But this was not a perfect world and Ross and the Skull had spent the past couple of years maligning superhumans. Despite the damage control Tony had tried to do, his hands had often been tied, so public opinion was not on their side. It certainly did not help that the government wasn't about to allow this mess to leak if they could help it, and technically speaking, Tony still answered to them.

But if Tony had learned something in his life, it was how to use bad circumstances and make them work for him. It was how he'd built the first Iron Man suit in Afghanistan. It hadn't worked out as expected—damn Yinsen for not sticking to the plan—but all things considered, it could have gone much worse.

This was what brought Tony to DC, on a bright crisp morning, facing a commission formed out of countless senators and decorated army officials, who for some reason all wanted to heap the blame of this debacle on the Avengers. Unsurprising, if disappointing.

"Tell us again what happened," a particularly annoying individual said.

Tony had already provided a detailed report, but sure, why not? "I'm the Director of SWORD. It was my job to make sure Captain America didn't escape. I informed Mr. Everett Ross that my team and I would be providing backup for General Ross. When we got there, however, we found that General Ross had already turned himself into a Hulk-like creature after experimenting on Rogers. We teamed up with the Avengers—"

"Wait, what? You teamed up with the Avengers?" someone interrupted him. "You were supposed to capture them."

Tony removed his sunglasses and glared, all the while mentally apologizing to Bruce. "Am I forgetting things or did this exact commission not declare the Hulk a threat to national security? I prioritized. Excuse me for worrying more about the casualties that could come from a Hulk rampage than catching the superhumans who didn't pose that much of a threat."

"The Avengers have been a threat for years," another senator pointed out.

Tony mentally reached into the man's bank account and closed two dozen of his credit cards. "Again, compared to the Hulk, they're nothing. There's a threat assessment attached to the report."

He had expected the pettiness, of course, because they still didn't much like him. They didn't doubt him either, but they poked and prodded and always stood in Tony's way.

"We managed to coordinate our efforts to take down the creature," he continued, not bothering to wait. "I was briefly knocked out during the fight and was later given medical attention. By the time I woke up, the Avengers were already gone."

It was obviously not true, but the idiots didn't know that, and it was believable, given that Tony had been through another battle before. Not to mention that they didn't know about Extremis.

"Once I recovered, I indicated that Ross should be taken to the New Avengers Facility, where I had the equipment necessary for his immobilization. I notified the army of what had occurred. Since the facility was only staffed through my tech, King T'Challa of Wakanda offered his own staff as help.

"My team reported that they believed the Avengers had removed some files from the Army base. Later, Secretary Rusk showed up at the facility. I deemed his behavior suspicious."

At that, Tony was interrupted again. "Suspicious in what way?"

"He insisted on removing General Ross from our custody. However, the locations where General Ross could have been contained are limited in number. The Raft is not equipped for it, and the Alaska base too far. It would have been extremely risky and unwarranted to attempt a move. Also, perhaps I was somewhat biased, but given the day I'd had, my trust in the good faith of the army was somewhat shaken."

It was a dig he wouldn't have normally made—not before—but it would have been more surprising if he _hadn't_ made it. What he was doing today required a delicate balance between being the Tony Stark they knew—dedicated to the Accords—and the arrogant asshole he'd always pretended to be. It had been easier to juggle that when he hadn't actually been trying to focus on the good superhumans were doing, but oh well.

Thank god he had been promoted to director of SWORD, because otherwise, this would have been far more difficult.

Predictably, there were glares all around, but Tony was not deterred. "At any rate, I consulted with my team and we agreed to look into what Secretary Rusk was doing. We were concerned he might have been working with General Ross. When we reached the base he was at, we found the Avengers were already there. I detected some odd energy output from inside and pursued the lead. I lost contact with my team and shortly after, I ran into Secretary Rusk—who revealed himself to have been the Red Skull all along."

The one hole in his story was how he had even known what base Rusk had gone to, but fortunately, nobody asked about that. "Were you aware of the existence of the bio agent at the time?"

"I had heard Captain Danvers mention it, but only briefly. It seemed to also originate from inside, which was one of the things we were trying to stop."

The members of the commission shuffled around some papers. "The report states that you were badly injured in the ensuing fight."

"Indeed. Between the weaponry the Red Skull was using and the gas... It really was too much. The only reason I survived was because the armor managed to keep most of it at bay until Thor showed up with the healing stone." That was the official story, since for obvious reasons, they couldn't yet reveal Loki had joined them.

"And at one point during the battle, Captain Rogers came in as well, correct?"

"Yes, Sir, that is correct," a familiar voice suddenly said.

Tony turned, only to see Captain America enter the room in all his glory. He was alone today, wearing his uniform, but unarmed.

Chaos exploded all around them. Tony took a step back and gaped at the new arrival.

Steve nodded at him. "Tony."

"Captain." Tony flicked his fingers, half-aiming toward Steve in a mimicry of the repulsor shot move. "This is a surprise."

"Maybe." Steve smiled sheepishly. "But I had to come in. I had to speak out. I have always believed in the freedom of the individual, in the right of each person to stand up for what they think is important—and to that I hold."

"Then why are you here, Captain?" one of the senators asked, looking shocked and uncertain—because of course they were. After all, Captain America had just walked into a closed hearing, without being noticed in the slightest.

Steve's jaw tightened. "I'm here because fifty six people died at that base. Seventy years ago, I took a plane into the ice believing it to be the right thing, believing it would save the world from Hydra. I woke up, only to find Hydra had returned, and the Skull was back, and in our own homes, among our own people. I don't know about you, but I very much doubt those soldiers even knew they were working and supporting a crazed Nazi.

"I'm not going to pretend this isn't at least partially my responsibility. But this can't keep happening. People are dying, because this government was too busy worrying about my team to monitor things in their own backyard. It needs to stop."

It was a pretty good speech, and not even the most awful of senators was immune to the Captain America is Disappointed in You face (TM pending). Still, it was not enough.

"Captain, you are an outlaw. You have to face justice."

Steve nodded. "I'm aware of that, and I'm ready to stand trial for my actions. But in this matter, the Red Skull—"

"This hearing is dismissed until the additional information provided is assessed," one of the senators interrupted him. "We will reconvene at a later time. Captain Rogers, you are under arrest."

The guards came to take Steve away. Tony followed, because how could he not?

Outside, there was already a rush of reporters waiting. Nobody really knew what had happened, but too many people had died too completely hide it.

There were several entrances to the building, of course, and several ways to leave it without having to go through the people. Most of the area was off limits. It was not ideal to work with, but it would have to do, since prolonging this would be too dangerous.

Fortunately, the parking lot was on the ground level, outside, and within the view of the gathered crowd. Everyone saw Captain America being led toward the black car, his hands cuffed in front of him. Tony actually thought the authorities did it that way on purpose, to make a show of force, to point out they'd brought the superhumans to their knees.

It was a gamble that would fail them.

The bullet unerringly hit Captain America straight in the chest. Steve let out a choked gasp. Blood splattered over Tony's suit, and over the uniforms of the guards flanking them.

The screaming started, and the guards crowded around them, trying to pinpoint the shooter. Tony was already on his knees, pressing his hands to the bullet wound, attempting to stop the flow of blood.

That day, everyone saw Captain America being shot to death just minutes after he had surrendered himself into the custody of the government. How had this happened? Why had he been there?

The shooter was never found, but new files were leaked on the Internet—including a recording from the closed hearing.

Most people agreed it had been the Black Widow who had leaked the files—she was notorious for doing that. But the identity of the person behind the leak was irrelevant. The focus was on the fact that the Red Skull had been discovered, and the government had obviously been trying to cover it up.

Thousands of people were present at Captain America's funeral, with millions more watching it on TV or online. Tony was, of course, there in person, appropriately clad in a black suit. T'Challa stood by his side, dressed in his official kingly attire. He squeezed Tony's shoulder lightly before Tony had to deliver his speech.

"For a long time, I called Steve Rogers a friend," he said at the funeral. "We had our differences, but in my heart, I never stopped believing he was a hero. We just had different ways of protecting the people we cared about. I never thought it would come to this."

He didn't bother disguising his grief. He truly had lost his friend, a long time ago. The only thing these people did not know was that his loss had happened a long time ago.

An entire country was mourning its fallen son. Finally, a question was asked. The Accords were meant to protect people—but who protected superhumans? It had been easy to blame them for every single problem, but the Red Skull had been a threat largely nurtured by the government. If not for the intervention of super-powered people, countless would have died.

Tony did as much damage control as he could, but the authorities were flailing so badly that it was just time to let the pieces fall where they would. Finally, he retreated to Wakanda, supposedly in mourning.

He didn't bother with a plane. He just flew in using the armor, and landed right on T'Challa's balcony.

Naturally, T'Challa hadn't been able to stay with him throughout the entire debacle. He'd come back to Wakanda a long time ago. "Welcome home," he said.

Tony let the armor slide away from him and smiled when T'Challa immediately proceeded to kiss him. "It's nice to be back, kitty cat."

He should probably be checking up on the others, but he didn't want to, not just yet. He wanted to steal a moment, just for himself and his lover. He had missed T'Challa a lot.

It was nice, to just stand there in the balcony, taking in the fresh Wakandan air and kissing T'Challa. They didn't take it further—it was hardly the time, or the place—but they both needed the reassurance after the weeks they'd had.

"Everything okay here?" Tony asked when they finally broke away.

"As well as can be expected. There was a hefty dose of restlessness, but it's settled down somewhat."

Tony suspected the restlessness was largely on T'Challa's part. "Hey. It's fine. It worked out. For once, I'm not actually being blamed for something. Well, mostly." There was still the occasional hateful comment being thrown his way, people arguing that he'd supported the Accords and didn't deserve to call Steve a friend at all. But he had accepted that would happen when he'd come up with this idea.

T'Challa sighed. "I just wish you shouldn't have to always carry this burden."

"You know, you told me once, that day in Siberia—that people like us have a duty. We'll always have burdens to carry. It's up to us how we'll deal with them." He hooked his arm through T'Challa's and stepped into the building. "But you know, given everything that could have gone wrong, I think it went fairly well."

"I do appreciate the confidence so, Man of Iron."

Loki was currently seated in the living room of T'Challa's personal quarters, playing chess with Vision. It should have been a strange sight, but Tony was beginning to think he'd gained some immunity to strangeness. "Yes, yes. I know. You're an expert at pretending to die."

Loki snorted and a flicker of magic moved his queen on the chess board. Vision responded by taking a pawn. "I admit I did not expect this result."

"Everybody loves a martyr, Vis," Tony offered. "The dead are always more loved than the living."

"Too true," Loki offered. "I do believe I was most likeable in Asgard when everyone deemed me deceased."

And wasn't that a depressing thought? Tony didn't really want to dwell on it, because it would ruin a day that was so far showing promise.

"Where's Cap?"

"With Mr. Barnes," Loki offered.

That didn't surprise Tony even a little. "Go talk to him," T'Challa said. "The two of you are overdue a conversation."

Tony whined. "I've only just arrived. Can't we just take a day?"

"We will." T'Challa's eyes glinted with promise. "I do have to welcome you to Wakanda properly. But for the moment, go."

That was incentive if Tony had ever had one, and it wasn't like T'Challa wasn't right. He and Steve did need to talk, if only because they'd probably have to work together in the future without wanting to take each other's heads off.

He found Cap in front of Barnes's cryogenic chamber. His eyes were fixed on Barnes's face. Tony, on the other hand, looked at the stump were the metal arm had been.

He really needed to build a new one.

"Hey, Cap," he greeted Steve quietly.

Steve had obviously sensed him approach because he didn't turn away from Barnes. "Hey."

Tony stopped next to Steve. For a few moments, silence fell between them. Finally, Tony gathered his thoughts and said, "You know they're going to be careful, right? And nobody is going to do anything if he doesn't want to."

"I know. But Bucky would take any chance as long as it means freedom from what's in his head."

"He's going to be all right, Cap. I know it seems unlikely, but Loki really is on our side. He handled that shit in DC like a pro, and Vision says he's been really helping with the Mind Gem. They're not taking any chances. If anyone knows how messed up a mind can get, it's probably him. He has no reason to hurt Barnes."

"I suppose. I'm just... This is just... A lot of stuff has been happening, and I'm not sure what to make of it." He paused and finally turned toward Tony. "Why do you even care?"

The question would have sounded hostile if not for the genuinely lost look in Steve's eyes. "I made a mistake, Cap, and I've always tried to own up to that. I've had time to process, you know, and I realize it was never his fault. So I'm just trying to fix things. I do that."

He didn't say that if Steve had told him from the very beginning, he might not have found out about what had happened in the worst possible way. He might not have practically had a nervous breakdown at the worst moment. Thinking about that day was still difficult for him. He hadn't really considered it at the time, but he'd later realized that the metal arm had been connected to Barnes's own nervous system, and the damage Tony had done had been extremely serious. That didn't sit well with him even now and he resented Steve for putting him in that position.

But he supposed he would never know what would have happened if Steve had trusted him. It was all over and done with.

Hopefully, Vision would manage to erase the triggers in Barnes's mind with Loki's help. Beyond that, Tony was still unsure what he'd do—he still wasn't comfortable even looking at Barnes—but it might not be necessary.

"Did you mean it? What you said at the funeral?"

Tony blinked at the non-sequitur. "Which part?"

Steve shrugged, although Tony suspected the nonchalance was faked. "All of it."

Well, that wasn't vague at all. "You know I did, Cap. I told you once—you were my friend. No matter what happened in the past, I do respect you still."

He had no idea if the feeling had ever been mutual, but he didn't want to get into that, not again. He was too tired to go back to poking old wounds.

Steve offered him a small smile. "Thank you, Tony. That means a lot. And for the record, you're my friend too."

Tony did note the phrasing, but he made no comment on it. They shook hands, and when Tony looked at Steve, he was reminded of a farewell—when he'd left the Avengers after Ultron. He had left with a heavy heart, because even then, he had suspected Pepper would never forgive him for everything that had happened.

He thought about the phone he had never used, about the empty casket that had been lowered into the ground. He thought about the Avengers—about eating shwarma together after a battle and them throwing accusations at him, from behind bars or within his own home.

Then, he thought about a promise. This wasn't about Steve or the Avengers anymore, not really.

It was finally time to go home, to just stop and to start over. Once, the Avengers had been his family. Once his life had rotated around them—but not anymore.

He nodded at Steve one more time and turned away. T'Challa was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because, seriously, my scenario is more realistic than what actually happened in Fallen Son. Time bullet? Yeah, right. LOL.


	11. Spirit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone - for the awesome response! 600 kudos! To celebrate, here is a new chapter. Originally, I did not intend to elaborate it so much, but your feedback has been heard, so here you go.  
> IMPORTANT: I'm not familiar with African religions beyond a few tidbits. I didn't want to go into a too elaborate spiritual debate either. But I felt it was important to address, if only a little. No offense to anyone intended.

T'Challa sat on the steps of the temple, looking out at the view of his homeland. By his side, Tony lay down on the stone, staring up at the sky.

"This is nice," he commented. "I haven't had some peace in ages."

T'Challa laughed under his breath. He knew better than to poke at Tony immediately when Tony was in this mood. "So you say now, but you will wish to go back to your lab within the next half hour."

Tony spluttered as he got up to face T'Challa. "Hey... Not the next half hour. I'll give it six. Six hours. I'm sure you'll find a way to distract me."

"I'm sure I will."

T'Challa pulled Tony closer and pressed their mouths together. These past couple of weeks had been very difficult. It hadn't been easy before, but at least prior to the Captain's forged death, Tony had been able to work behind the scenes. Now, he was forced to face the onslaught of the limelight, and T'Challa had only be able to support him up to a point until domestic issues had summoned him home.

They didn't kiss for long. They were, after all, in front of the Tranquility Temple, and the Doras were within view, giving T'Challa and Tony privacy, but still keeping an eye on their king. He could have probably taken things further elsewhere and Tony would have not protested, but T'Challa had something else in mind.

When they broke apart, T'Challa got up and extended his hand to Tony. "Come with me."

Tony didn't ask any questions. He simply complied, trusting T'Challa. Maybe he had expected what T'Challa was planning to do. After all, T'Challa never did things for no reason, and if he'd brought them to the temple today, he had a specific purpose in mind.

The temple was traditionally where the ceremony of the Black Panther was held. The actual location of the trials tended to vary, so that warriors would not know to prepare beforehand for what followed, but once the most adept warrior was picked, the temple was where the process was finished.

T'Challa still remembered the day he had been chosen. The only one who'd come close to besting him had been Shuri, but if she resented him for the defeat, she had never shown it. It was fortunate, because being granted the blessing of the Black Panther had been overwhelming enough without having his sister turn against him.

The temple was also his father's final resting place. When he had doubts or fears, it was here that T'Challa came—to speak to his father as much as to send prayers to the Panther God.

Still holding hands, they stopped in front of the altar. "Father, this is Anthony Edward Stark," T'Challa said. "He is to be my consort."

Tony's breath caught. His hold on T'Challa tightened. He obviously did not know what to say.

"I have been remiss in fulfilling some of our most sacred ways, and for that, I apologize, to you, and to him. But today, I would have your blessing."

He desperately wished his father had still been alive, that he could have met Tony. But it had not been meant to be, and T'Challa believed that his father's spirit lived on, in the earth and the water of Wakanda, still watching over him.

He felt a flow of warmth trickle over his senses, like an embrace and a kiss over his forehead. Tony made a noise. T'Challa wondered if Tony felt it too. In some ways, Tony was now also attuned to the spirit of Wakanda, and while he had not received the powers of the panther, he carried Wakanda in his heart nevertheless.

Tony didn't say anything, and soon, the feeling faded. T'Challa bowed, and so did Tony. As they made their way out of the temple, Tony let out a heavy breath. "Wow. That was... intense. I feel like I should have said something, but I've never actually been taken home to a parent before."

The uncertainty in the comment made T'Challa want to hunt some people down and tear some throats out. "Not to worry. Our ways are not about the words, but about the spirit. It is the spirit that the Panther God blesses."

Tony stared at him. "You're amazing, you know that?"

T'Challa smiled. He knew Tony was intrigued by how Wakanda blended its traditional ways and spirituality with advanced science. Tony himself was a convinced atheist—he was a man of science, and first and foremost, believed in humanity. He had plenty of explanations for where the blessings of Wakanda came from.

But one of the reasons why T'Challa loved him was because Tony always kept an open mind and was always eager to learn. There was no one else T'Challa could have shared the truth of his heart with.

"I am just a man," he said, "and a determined one. I have not forgotten our conversation."

"About me coming to live here."

"Yes." They went down the steps of the temple. The Doras moved to follow, but T'Challa shook his head. They stopped in their tracks, acknowledging the silent command.

Now alone, T'Challa and Tony headed into the jungle. "You belong here, with me. Whatever you wish to do in the United States, you can do here."

Tony laughed. "I have a feeling you've already made plans for that."

T'Challa was relieved to hear Tony's amusement. Tony was an independent person and didn't appreciate people making decisions for him, which was part of the reason why T'Challa wanted to be extra careful about this. "Perhaps."

He had already been planning to build an advanced factory next to the vibranium mound to further explore the benefits of the metal. Tony was in the best position to help him with the idea. He was the only one who'd even come close to creating synthetic vibranium. The metal he had created for the armor was not an exact match, but it was close, and T'Challa hoped that in the future, they would be able to expand operations somewhat.

"It is too risky to release vibranium use to the whole world. Protecting the mound has always been our way, and we will continue to do so. But it is also our duty to help other nations in their quest for clean energy and the pursuit of science. It is my belief that Stark Industries would do well here, in collaboration with the Wakandan government."

Tony leaned in closer to him. "I love it when you talk politics to me, kitten," he whispered. "But you know, you don't have to convince me. I'm already sold on the idea."

"Even now? The Avengers will be finally brought back together. There is your other team to consider, and of course, your friends."

Tony shrugged. "Sue and Reed have their own family, and Carol doesn't need me to babysit her. I think she's actually spending a lot of time with Rhodey since he came back. Pepper has Happy. And the Avengers... Well, we're better off without each other I think."

"I take it you have a plan as well."

"Insomuch as we can plan anything right now," Tony said. "I'll have to monitor that mess with the Accords and being the Director of SWORD is essential for that, but I can do that from here. In fact, it's probably a better call, since it'll allow me far more independence from those assclowns back in the States. Politically, it's a good decision."

"And privately?"

"I need it. I'm ready, babe, to start over—with you. This is where I want to be, when the time comes."

There was a shadow in Tony's eyes as he spoke, and T'Challa knew Tony was thinking about what Loki and Thor had said, about the imminent invasion of the Mad Titan's forces.

"When the time comes, we will be ready. For now, this is for us."

He guided Tony through the jungle, until they finally reached the river. The moment the glittering waters were within view, T'Challa dropped his cloak.

"Mmmm... I like the way you think."

It came as no surprise for T'Challa that Tony decided to tackle him into the water. It was even less surprising when they ended up naked together, after peeling each other out of the wet clothes they hadn't bothered to fully take off.

For one whole afternoon, they made each other forget that they were the King of Wakanda and the Director of SWORD respectively, and focused on just being T'Challa and Tony. Soon, T'Challa would claim Tony as his own in front of the whole of Wakanda and the whole world. For the moment, this would have to do.

****

_Three months later_

The alley was empty. It was the shortest way to his temporary home. It also made Bruce nervous.

He walked forward anyway, keeping his head down and his face hidden. He'd learned a lot of things about keeping a low profile since becoming the Hulk. Hopefully, today would not bring the Other Guy out.

When the armor landed in front of him, Bruce was both surprised and not. He'd been coming in from treating an ill woman in the outskirts of Calcutta and he'd had a strange restless feeling for a while now. The whine of the repulsors was familiar—the colors of the armor not so much.

Behind the transparent face plate of the black and gold armor, Tony grinned at Bruce. "Hey, Brucey. How's life in the third world?"

The last time Bruce had seen Tony in person had been during the Ultron debacle, after the creation of Vision. Shortly after that, he'd turned into the Other Guy, and while he had flashes of the armor fighting by their side in Sokovia, they were brief, and not particularly illustrative.

Since then, he'd watched the Avengers fall apart under the weight of Tony's guilt and Steve's stubbornness. He hadn't really know what to make of the Accords, beyond the fact that he wanted no part of it.

In his heart, he had known Tony was right, that there had to be some accountability, but he didn't trust the Accords either. He'd suspected Tony had some sort of plan, especially since Tony had hated Ross almost as much as Bruce did, and he wouldn't have worked with the general without some sort of backup idea. But as the years passed, he'd feared more and more for his friend.

Things had changed somewhat as of late.

Bruce gave Tony an unimpressed look. "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

Tony smiled, and the sheepish expression was so familiar that Bruce wondered how he'd ever even considered Tony would stab his friends in the back. "Sorry," he said. "I guess you figured it out then."

"Kind of difficult not to, what with that message you sent me."

The message had been cryptic, but it had told Bruce to lay as low as possible. Ross had apparently done something crazy and created another Hulk. Tony had said that he was handling it, but in the meantime, sentiment toward the original Hulk wasn't great.

Tony coughed, a little awkwardly. "Yes, well... I had to keep an eye on you. Didn't want you to get hurt, especially with all that mess with the Accords."

"I figured." Bruce sighed and took off his glasses. "What the hell, Tony? How... How could this happen? Steve..."

He allowed a dose of grief to seep into his voice. He had never been as close to Steve as he'd been to Tony, but Steve had been important to him nonetheless.

"It's... It's a little complicated, Brucey-bear. I can't talk about it here. Do you trust me?"

Bruce looked into Tony's earnest brown eyes. It might be stupid, but the hell with it. "Yes."

He was rewarded with a brilliant smile. "Awesome. Come on. Let's go somewhere we can talk properly."

Bruce didn't fly with the armor—the one time they'd tried, it had brought out the Hulk. Tony retracted it, instead. He had come prepared, because beneath it, he was wearing inconspicuous clothes that if needed, would help him blend in.

The armor turned into a case—also far less conspicuous than Tony's previous model. Since Tony clearly didn't want to talk about Steve yet, Bruce approached the other topic. "What's with the colors?"

He knew Tony's previous armor had been silver with a light blue sheen, and that had unsettled him too. The armor was an extension of Tony, and the colors reflected him, his purpose and his spirit. The silver, while present in other of Tony's armors, had been too cold.

"Well, about that... It's actually part of the reason why I'm here. I'm getting married to T'Challa. The armor is done in Wakandan colors."

Oh. Bruce only knew bits and pieces about the Wakandan king. There had been some speculation in the international press that T'Challa and Tony were involved, but the newspapers hadn't had too much to go with. King T'Challa had never displayed overt romantic touches with Tony in public, so Bruce had thought it was just a rumor.

It occurred to Bruce that he'd really missed a huge part of Tony's life. The last time they'd spoken, Tony had still been dating Pepper.

"Wow. I did not expect that."

They didn't get to talk about it further because Tony dragged him out of the alley and into the crowd. As far as Bruce could tell, no one had noticed the appearance of the Iron Man armor, which was odd. But then, Bruce had missed it too until it was right in front of him. Maybe Tony had made more progress with the stealth tech he'd been making noises about before Ultron.

"Where are you going?"

"You'll see."

As it turned out, Tony led Bruce toward a car already waiting not very far from the alley. It wasn't flashy like Tony's favored vehicles. In fact, it was a jeep with the Wakandan flag on it. Most people were used to Wakandan humanitarian aid and had probably not guessed its real purpose.

Tony and Bruce entered the car. Tony said something to the driver—Bruce suspected it was in Wakandan, because he couldn't understand—and the man nodded and left.

Tony let out a breath. "Okay. We're safe to talk now."

Bruce believed him, because if anyone knew ways to secure a car, it was Tony. "What's going on, Tony? Why did you come here?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, Brucey, I came to invite you to my wedding."

That wasn't what Bruce had expected. "What?"

Tony smiled sheepishly. "I know, it's a little sudden. But... I have missed you, Bruce. I know you wanted me to keep my distance, and I respected that, but... This is really important for me. And you're my friend. I want you to be there."

Bruce swallowed around the knot in his throat. "Tony, I..." He didn't know what to say. He was happy for Tony, but Steve...

Tony seemed to guess his thoughts. "Give me some credit, Brucey. Cap's still alive. I set it up, to smooth the way for the modification of the Accords."

Bruce gaped. "What? But how?" There would have been a lot of tests to make sure Captain America was truly dead. Contrary to popular belief, that wasn't easy to fake.

"We had help. A lot's happened." Tony passed a hand through his hair. "Bruce... Everything's been such a huge mess. I... I suppose I should start with the beginning, huh?"

Bruce nodded, still a little dazed. He listened as Tony started to speak. Hearing Tony talk about the Accords made him uncomfortable at first, but as Tony elaborated, it became increasingly obvious that he'd been right and Tony had been subtly manipulating things all along. "It was the only way, Bruce. I couldn't stop it, so I had to work with it."

There was an apology in Tony's voice, because of course, Tony was still on the fence about supporting Ross's campaign. "It's fine, Tony. I get it." And he did. After all, Tony was just one guy. He couldn't have stood against the UN. He had to try a different approach.

Tony looked relieved at Bruce's words and went on. Something horrible twisted in Bruce's chest when Tony told him about the rest of it—his terrible fight with Steve and what he'd found out about Barnes. And then there was the cancer, and Bruce wanted to scream because he should have been there for Tony.

"It's okay, Bruce," Tony said. "I'm fine now."

Bruce took a wild guess and figured out the only solution Tony could have found to the brain tumor. "Extremis."

Tony nodded. "It's complicated, but I'll tell you all the details later. The important thing is that I'm fine and not liable to blow up."

But of course, it didn't stop there, because apparently Tony had been doing far more than Bruce had even realized. He'd found a way to help the Avengers while still maintaining his cover, and to do so, he'd compromised himself, forgone his oath to stop building weapons.

Bruce ached for him.

"Anyway, I expect things to be better now. The Accords are still being discussed, but we have high hopes for it. And T'Challa and I have waited long enough."

The way Tony said those words made it even more obvious that the change in the armor wasn't just for show or for political reasons. "You love him."

"Yeah."

Tony's smile was small and shy, almost embarrassed. He wasn't good at talking about emotions—Bruce knew that—but it was there, the truth of it. Bruce wanted nothing more than to be there for Tony at this wedding.

There was just one problem. "Will they come?" he asked.

Naturally, Tony understood his train of thought. "Steve has to stay—we figure a year or so, until it's safe to bring him back without it looking more suspicious than it will already be. If all goes well, the others will probably return to the States as soon as they're given the all clear. But for the moment, it's not safe, so they're still stationed in Wakanda."

Bruce winced. He didn't want to face the team. Two particular members came to mind.

"They're not coming to the wedding, though," Tony continued. "The ceremony itself is pretty private. It'll be T'Challa, me, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy and T'Challa's sister Shuri. There's a great celebration of course, but you don't have to come to that if you don't want to. And T'Challa set up the Avengers with a temporary HQ. Steve couldn't hang out in the city anymore—it was too risky even in Wakanda—so everyone will be there." Tony poked Bruce's arm. "Come on, Brucey. You'll love T'Challa. I mean, not _love_ love, that's for me, obviously, but you'll love him... as a fellow scientist. He's incredibly clever and... What? Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing," Bruce said between chuckles. "Okay, Tony. Of course I'll come. Just make sure Nat isn't around. And keep Maximoff away from me at all costs."

He knew his eyes were glowing green as he said the latter phrase, but Tony didn't seem taken aback. "Will do, Brucey. She won't touch you. Ever again."

The fierce protectiveness in Tony's voice eliminated the last of Bruce's misgivings and calmed down the Other Guy. Bruce didn't want to see the world, not really, but the closest thing he'd had to happiness since the accident had been with Tony, because of Tony's friendship.

He couldn't refuse Tony this one request, not because of his own fear.

Bruce Banner was going to a wedding.


	12. A Wedding with Excitement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said before, I originally intended to end the story soon, but I couldn't do it, because it felt like I was cutting it short for the sake of finishing it and I simply didn't have the heart.  
> So this happened - and I sort of blame you guys for being so awesome and incredibly encouraging. Enjoy!

Tony had many times entertained the idea of how his wedding might go. He had never actually considered himself husband material, but when he'd been with Pepper, he'd thought that maybe he could do it—for her. It hadn't worked out, and in the end, the tentative ideas he'd had for his wedding to Pepper had gone into her wedding to Happy.

Tony's own wedding was very different. At the actual ceremony, there were no paparazzi, no flash, no glamor and glitz—only substance. For someone like Tony, who'd spent the better part of his life wearing a mask, it was incredibly freeing to not have to worry about that. One thing that had always irritated him about weddings was that unavoidably, they ended up being about the guests—when it really should have been about the happy couple.

Suffice to say, he was very pleased with the Wakandan way.

The ceremony was held in the Tranquility Temple and officiated by the head priest of the Cult of the Panther God. Bruce, Happy, Pepper, Rhodey and Shuri formed a semi-circle behind T'Challa and Tony.

There was something quiet and peaceful and plainly put, right about being here like this, with T'Challa. It settled over Tony's skin like a comfortable blanket, like the very first time he'd put on the armor—only so much warmer, providing both shelter and reassurance.

The temple itself had definitely been prepared for the occasion. There were flowers everywhere, framed by sharp spears of vibranium. There were no candles—but the vibranium itself glowed somehow—and the light looked almost surreal.

For all the privacy of the occasion, T'Challa and Tony were both dressed in full regalia. T'Challa was actually bare-chested and had foregone his mask, but he wore elaborate necklaces made out vibranium and a fancy cloak that could have rivaled Thor's. He'd been painted with elaborate henna tattoos and his black pants were so tight Tony half thought they were tattoos too. On the whole, he looked like a work of art. Tony wasn't sure if he made it work just as well—he considered capes tremendously impractically and one of the mysteries of life would always be how Thor even managed to fly in that thing without stumbling into some airplane engine—but T'Challa seemed to like the result, and that was what mattered.

T'Challa held his hand as the priest droned out a speech about togetherness and the bonding of two spirits. Tony wasn't really paying attention—he was just focused on T'Challa and the fact that holy shit, he was getting married. Maybe he should have gotten cold feet, but all things considered, it was strangely easy to say his vows.

The words came easily to his lips. He'd expected to stammer even if he'd repeated them time and time again, but no. He simply gripped T'Challa's hand tighter and said, "I pledge my heart, my loyalty and my flesh to my king and consort, T'Challa son of T'Chaka. From this day henceforth, I am bound to the spirit of Wakanda, and will be its steadfast guardian in all things."

The smile he was rewarded with was a treasure Tony sheltered deep in his heart. T'Challa's real smiles were like that, small, private things, and Tony made it his mission to make T'Challa smile as often as possible.

He was probably grinning too when T'Challa echoed his vows. This was crazy, and a few years ago, Tony would have never expected it, but it was just right for them.

Finally, the priest clapped his hands together, and the vibranium in the room seemed to respond to the sound. "With the blessing of the Panther God, you are now wed. May you lead Wakanda for many years to come."

Of course, by then, Tony was already fidgeting—because peace and quiet was all well and good but T'Challa was right in that there was only so long he could stay still. The priest hadn't even finished his speech when Tony pounced on his husband—his husband!—and kissed him.

He didn't know who started clapping first, but the burst of enthusiasm coming from his friends was more than welcome. It also didn't make him pull away from T'Challa—not until they were both breathless and distinctly uncomfortable in their tight clothes.

"You know," he murmured against T'Challa's lips, "we might have a problem here. I don't think this outfit is very decent to walk around in."

T'Challa chuckled. "Not to worry. I doubt anyone at the celebration will be surprised."

Right—the big party. Tony had almost forgotten about that one. Well, at least he'd have a few moments with his friends and family before he had to worry about facing the country. At the very least, it'd help put a damper on his libido.

It was Rhodey who stepped up to him first. He was finally walking on his own, and he was smiling so wide Tony was surprised it didn't hurt his face. He pulled Tony into an embrace that would have likely made his bones creak had he not been enhanced with Extremis. "Congratulations, man. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Rhodey. And thank you, for being here."

Rhodey snorted. "As if I'd miss it. I've already been gone for too long, I think."

It was not the first time Rhodey expressed his dismay over Tony almost dying—again—this time at the hands of the Red Skull. He knew Steve was alive and it was all being settled, but Tony getting hurt like that didn't sit well with him.

When they broke the embrace, Rhodey zeroed in on T'Challa. "Welcome to the family, King T'Challa. You'll have your hands full with this one."

T'Challa shook Rhodey's hand, quirking a small smile at Rhodey's comment. "Oh, I know, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Tony experienced a brief moment of dread when he caught a speculative spark in Rhodey's eyes. He already suspected Rhodey would enlist T'Challa in his perpetual "teach Tony self-preservation" campaign. Before he could prevent it, Happy and Pepper approached.

For the purpose of the wedding, Pepper was wearing a traditional Wakandan garb Shuri had given her. Her eyes were a little red, like she had been crying, but she was as beautiful as ever, and Happy looked at her like she was the brightest star in the sky. Tony had never been more glad that they'd found one another.

Tony and Pepper had never been suited to each other, not as lovers. Even at their best, they'd never managed what Tony had with T'Challa—and what Pepper had with Happy. It had once filled him with grief. Now, he only felt a dose of melancholy about everything he'd put her through over the years.

"Tony. Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

Tony grinned. "Thanks, Pep. You look great. Happy, my man. When are you going to make me an uncle?"

Happy stammered and Pepper blushed, the pink in her cheeks making her freckles stand out. "Tony!"

"What?" Tony's smile widened. "It's a genuine concern. I'm starting a family now too. I want kids to spoil."

Suddenly, Shuri hooked her arm through his, tsking under her breath. "Be careful with what you wish for, King Consort. The Panther God often gives great blessings of fertility to his chosen guardians."

Tony spluttered. Yes, he and T'Challa had talked about children, but only as something tentative. Not to mention that Shuri had just called him king-consort. Yes, he'd been ready for it, but still...

"Sister, don't traumatize my consort," T'Challa piped in. "I'd like to have him for myself a while longer."

Shuri laughed. "You're no fun."

"So kids?" Bruce asked, shuffling a little closer, somewhat awkward, but interested. "That's going to be a thing."

"Eventually," Tony replied. "Not right now. We need some time to get all our ducks in a row. Or should I say... Panthers in a row?"

There were groans all around at Tony's terrible pun. "Oh, Tony... That one almost made me Hulk out," Bruce mumbled.

Tony scored another win for himself. Getting Bruce to talk about his Other Guy in any way that didn't hold self-loathing was another achievement he prized, right up there with T'Challa's smiles.

"It is a good thing I did not wed you for your sense of humor," T'Challa said, completely dead-pan.

"Of course not." Tony rolled his eyes. "Everybody knows you married me cos I'm a hot piece of ass."

It was irreverent—and inaccurate—and not something he should have said in a temple, but everyone laughed. Tony's heart felt warm, because for all that Pepper, Happy and Rhodey might not know everything he'd done, they were still his friends and he loved them dearly.

He'd have to make sure he showed Brucey the labs in the Wakandan science facility, because after getting his science bro back, no way was he willing to let Bruce return to India.

A group of Dora Milaje stepped into the temple, and Tony knew that for the moment, the time for light-hearted fun was gone.

"All right. Looks like it's schmoozing time."

"My friends, the Doras will lead you back to the palace through a separate exit," T'Challa explained. "We will see you there soon."

"Thank you, King T'Challa," Pepper said. "And again, my most sincere congratulations."

Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce and Happy were led away, while Shuri and a few other Doras stayed and flanked T'Challa and Tony. Bracing himself, Tony stepped out of the temple, his arm hooked through T'Challa's.

For all the tranquility of the temple, the atmosphere outside was completely different. The music, shouts and cheering were almost deafening. Tony had not expected such enthusiasm from the populace—after all, he was still pretty much a stranger here—but for whatever reason, the Wakandan people seemed very excited.

He suspected the general belief was that T'Challa was doing some heavy political maneuvering at an international level. The Avengers had never advertised their presence in Wakanda, but there were plenty of people who knew about it—palace staff, guards, doctors, people from the embassy who'd helped the Avengers at one point or another. Chances were that the Wakandans might thing T'Challa was lying through his teeth to make a political alliance, especially since Tony had been known to be a very vocal opponent of the Avengers while T'Challa had been helping them. For the moment, this worked well enough, although just to be safe, Tony had his stealth suit flying around too. He couldn't wear it—for obvious reasons—but FRIDAY could pilot it in his absence and he could still monitor things through Extremis.

Of course, that was a little hard to do among the overwhelming crowd. It took some time to make their way through the onslaught of people and the traditional rain of flowers. By the time they reached the palace, Tony thought he might have gained an allergy to pollen and a desperate wish for some ear plugs. He sort of hated the enhanced hearing Extremis had given him. He wondered how T'Challa was dealing with it. He'd have to ask later.

They ended up seated on twin thrones located between the panther statues that guarded the entry way of the palace. Tony couldn't see any of the Avengers, but maybe they planned on showing up later.

For the better part of the next hour, T'Challa and Tony accepted gifts and blessings from various people of note. T'Challa was the official leader of Wakanda, but there were other tribes in the country, and some of them didn't much like T'Challa at all. For the moment, they were all playing nice, though, and Tony was thankful for the experience he'd gained in the past couple of years. It helped with all the politics.

He was still relieved when Thor unexpectedly showed up. He literally seemed to appear out of nowhere, and the Doras tensed by T'Challa and Tony's side. T'Challa waved a hand, dismissing their concern.

Thor stepped forward, his armor and cape more resplendent than ever, and oh, he had company. A beautiful dark-haired woman was with him, her slender arm hooked through Thor's. Her eyes were very green, and her green and gold dress made them stand out even more. Ah. Tony would know those eyes anywhere.

Thor and Loki didn't kneel like the others had—but then, they were royalty too.

"King T'Challa," Thor said, "we congratulate you on your nuptials to my shield-brother, the Man of Iron. King Consort Anthony, it gladdens my heart to see you so blissful."

"We thank you for your generosity and warm welcome to us," Loki added. "We bring a gift to honor your wedding."

Loki waved a hand and suddenly, a golden basket appeared in front of them. It glowed, seemingly enveloped by a sort of force field. When Loki removed the force field, Tony saw the basket held two sleeping cats.

"They are cubs of Brygul and Trjgul," Thor explained. "Our aunt Freya was most honored to provide them. They are small now, but they will grow into worthy guardians of your house."

Magical cats. Of course that was a thing.

The basket levitated closer, and it was only when the cats were in front of the thrones that they woke up. Their glowing eyes immediately zeroed in of Tony and T'Challa. They meowed and clumsily stumbled out of the basket.

T'Challa picked one of the cats up, which left Tony to take the other one. The cat nuzzled his neck and started to purr like a little engine. Tony wondered what it said about him that the cat's gesture reminded him a little of cuddling with T'Challa.

"You have my thanks," T'Challa said as he brushed his fingers through his cat's fur. "They are magnificent animals."

It was true. Tony could sense the power vibrating in the body of the tiny being. Quite frankly, he felt a little like Dr. Evil with the cat in his lap, but given that felines were a motif here in Wakanda, he'd gotten used to the idea, and hey, if he was going to have a pet, might as well go all the way.

Thor and Loki sketched twin bows. "It is our utmost pleasure."

And just like that, they stepped back, somehow managing to look both authoritative and deferential as they did so. Tony had to remind himself that he'd seen Thor glower at the toaster for not producing his poptarts to stay sane.

He also made a mental note to talk to Loki later and ask him what powers the cats had. He vaguely remembered the mythological Brygul and Trjgul being the cats that supposedly pulled the chariot of the goddess Freya, but he hadn't actually thought it was a thing. Sometimes, it was difficult to tell what was true and what wasn't when it came to the difference between the Norse myths and their resident Norse gods.

Finally, shortly after the gift giving part was done, Tony and T'Challa headed back inside. It was somewhat more alarming to return to the palace, only to find Loki had somehow hijacked Bruce's attention and kept him from retreating. Meanwhile, Thor was pouring Asgardian mead to all the super-humans and bellowing about great feasts. He was ambushed by an enthused Johnny Storm. Like Cap, Johnny had trouble getting drunk—he burned through the alcohol too quickly—so he jumped at the chance. Sue somehow managed to drag Reed in for a dance, right next to Rhodey and Carol and Happy and Pepper. Ben babysat Reed and Sue's kids, Franklin and Valeria. That bit was sort of unsuccessful, since Valeria was already making a beeline for the Doras, fascinated by the women warriors of Wakanda. Franklin was eying Loki and Thor with interest.

Oh, well. It wouldn't be Tony Stark's wedding if it didn't hit all the right notes in weirdness and excitement. "You know," he told T'Challa, "this might just work."

T'Challa smiled—the real smile again. In that moment, just for a little while, all of Tony's problems seemed to disappear. For a brief precious instant, Tony felt like all was right in the world.

Until of course, the damn cats Loki and Thor had given them decided they did not care Tony and T'Challa were in the middle of a celebration and promptly reminded them even magical felines needed litter boxes. Fuck.

****

Sometimes, being a super-soldier sucked. Despite the distance between the house T'Challa had assigned to the Avengers and the main settlement in front of the palace, Steve still heard the cheering and the music and the enthusiastic shouts.

He sighed as he looked at the rest of his team."You guys should go, at least to the second thing."

Sam nodded. "Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

"I will stay," Wanda offered. "I doubt I would be welcome there anyway."

None of them were welcome, not really. Tony hadn't told them that outright, but Tony had been exceedingly busy in the past few weeks and more often than not, Steve didn't get a chance to talk to him. Steve had spoken to T'Challa, though, and the young king had made it pretty clear that the Avengers needed to keep their distance.

Steve had been told he had to skip this one altogether, and he understood, but the others could go. T'Challa just wasn't happy with them.

He supposed it had been naïve of him to expect things would be solved, just like that. He'd given a lot of thought lately to his and Tony's conversation, and upon revising it, he'd realized Tony had said Steve _had been_ his friend. Had been—but not anymore. Tony had said he respected Steve, but he'd never reciprocated Steve's offer of friendship. It made sense, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

"What about you guys?"

"I'm going." Clint shrugged. "Laura and the kids are looking forward to it."

Scott shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"I will go as well," Vision offered. "I wish to extend my congratulations to Mr. Stark, perhaps not immediately, but when I first see him."

Vision sounded subdued, but then, he always sounded subdued these days. There was a distance between him and Wanda that hadn't been there before.

Steve made a mental note to pull Sam aside and tell him to stick close to Vision. Sam was a great listener, and even if Vision might not be exactly human, he still had emotions. A helpful ear wouldn't hurt.

By now, the actual ceremony was probably over. Steve would have liked to be there for Tony, at least in some way, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

Natasha was looking out the window and was even more quiet than usual. She hadn't spoken much at all in the past couple of days. It didn't take a super spy to realize why.

There was one Avenger that had never truly had a fall out with Tony. Tony had kept Ross off Bruce's back even while he'd been working as a double agent, although it couldn't have been easy. And Steve knew that Bruce had also considered Tony a good friend, and Tony was the only reason why Bruce had even stayed with the Avengers long enough to start the tentative thing he'd had with Natasha.

Chances were he might be at the wedding. It was likely the closest Bruce and Natasha had been in years.

He had no advice, for any of them. For the moment, he wasn't even Captain America anymore. Until Steve could make his miraculous return from the dead, Sam was carrying his shield. What did that make him? He didn't know.

Steve got up and left the room, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe. The house was watched, but he could go in the back, where it opened toward the jungle. The guards would stop him if he went too far, but Steve had no intention of doing that.

He had no intention of doing much of anything really.

Steve slid to the ground and stared at the sky. What did he have left? Bucky was in the ice still, and while they were hopeful that the conditioning could be removed, it would take some time for Loki to manage to train Vision into using the gem properly. Following orders hadn't worked out for him, neither had trying to save the world on his own. SHIELD was gone, and the Avengers had fallen apart. Peggy was dead, and he'd never had the heart to take the thing with Sharon further. It was just as well that she had left with Coulson and his team to monitor what was happening with the Accords.

He was suddenly so very tired. He wondered if he could get T'Challa to freeze him too, at least until he was needed again, or until Bucky was back.

It was the easy way out, he knew, but what else could he do? Officially, he was dead, and for the sake of the world, he had to stay that way.

But no, he couldn't give up. He'd made mistakes, yes, but Thor and Loki had had a fallout of epic proportions. Granted, the situation was not the same—they had a thousand years of brotherhood to fall back on—but they'd reached some sort of compromise.

He had never given up before, not when he'd been an eighty pound asthmatic, just another kid from Brooklyn who'd been too mouthy for his own good. He'd once told Tony that the Avengers had belonged to him more than to Steve, but that hadn't been true either. It had been the only home he'd had after the ice. Tony had given him that. And for all that Tony might not think it now, he was still an Avenger.

Steve couldn't fix everything, but he was damn well going to give it his best shot. And it might not be right now, but he couldn't believe what they'd had was completely shattered beyond repair.

He'd just have to keep trying. They all did. And they would start today.

****

In the late hours of the night, a dark figure sneaked through the corridors of the Wakandan palace. It had been difficult to infiltrate the structure, but he'd done it. Normally, the Dora Milaje were too watchful to even risk approach, but the celebration had distracted even the most careful guardians. Even now, the focus was mostly on the king and his new consort, not on other threats.

It was still mostly good fortune that had gotten him inside—that, and some help from from a disgruntled old enemy of the Avengers, but he took his blessings where he could get them.

The medical wing was well-guarded, but he was determined, and his strength unparalleled. His equipment helped him strike stealthily and from the shadows. It wasn't something he would have normally done—but that was necessary under the circumstances.

Eventually, he had to deactivate security altogether, which was unfortunate because people would undoubtedly notice soon. But it didn't matter because he'd already reached his destination.

The sleeping assassin lay in his cryo chamber, oblivious to all else around him. "A dangerous weapon to hold so close, T'Challa. But I will make good use of it."

The cryo chamber opened. Cold air began to seep out, and as James Barnes opened his eyes, a book with a red star came out.

The first words that echoed in the still dark room splintered the silence like daggers.

_"Zhelaniye, rzhavet, semnadtsat, rassvet, pech, devyat, dobroserdechniy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, gruzovoy avtomobil."_

The first words Bucky Barnes spoke as his vocal cords began to recover were, " _Gotov slujit_."

M'Baku the Man Ape grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it's not obvious, the latter words are Bucky's trigger words and the "ready to comply". I don't know Russian - I took them from a post - so if there's any mistake, apologies. And yes, I know, me and my cliffhangers. Don't hate me :)  
> Also after the whole "Cap is secretly Hydra" thing, I could not resist adding some Steve. Seriously, wth is Marvel comics doing? *is completely befuddled


	13. Unfinished Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't actually expect finishing this chapter so quickly but the characters dragged it out of me. I hope you like it :)  
> As always, thank you for all the kudos and the comments.

Bruce did not expect liking Loki. He'd known the two Asgardians would be here—Tony had warned him beforehand—but he had thought Loki would at least keep his distance given that the last time they'd met, the Other Guy had redecorated Tony's penthouse—using Loki's face.

Loki didn't seem taken aback in the slightest. In fact, he—she?—slid smoothly to Bruce's side and began their conversation by thanking him. "Your alter ego gave me back my mind," he—she?—explained. "I am most grateful."

"Uh... My pleasure?"

That sounded awful, and Bruce winced. Loki just smirked. It was a little weird, because he was still shape-shifted into a woman. But then, that might have been part of the reason why the Other Guy didn't immediately decide to pound Loki into a fine paste. "I'm sure it was," Loki said.

It would have probably been even more awkward, but since Tony had explained what Loki had done with the Steve thing, Bruce had been fascinated by Loki's magic. They started talking, and soon, Bruce pretty much forgot to be apprehensive. T'Challa and Tony joined in, and Bruce was given the chance to observe T'Challa in his element, as a scientist.

Tony was right. T'Challa was a genius. He was also genuinely interested in Bruce's expertise as a doctor, and not in his ability to turn into a giant green rage monster, like Tony so eloquently put it.

"Wakanda will be branching into genetics in the future, Dr. Banner," he explained. "Your feedback would be much appreciated."

Bruce was hesitant to trust anyone too much, but he was still intrigued—enough that he prodded a little further into what T'Challa had in mind. "Genetics is a wide field. What are you interested in, King T'Challa?"

"We did mention it before, Dr. Banner," T'Challa said. "Eventually, I will be required to have heirs, and while my sister has offered to be a surrogate for myself and Tony should it be necessary, I would rather look into the possibility of us having children without someone else involved."

The topic grabbed Bruce more than anything could have. The Other Guy made it impossible for him to have kids, but that didn't mean a part of him didn't yearn to still be a father. And to know that he could at least help Tony with this... Yes, he could do that.

Loki looked interested as well. Apparently, in Asgard, they sort of had the required tech, but the avenue had never been pursued because they were still a very conservative society. "Truly, it was most irritating. I would offer my aid as well."

It was the first time Bruce had felt even remotely comfortable around a group of people since Ultron. They knew what he was and what he'd done and they weren't afraid. It was so easy to fall back into his friendship with Tony, like he'd never left, and for all that he'd only known Loki as a would-be world conqueror and T'Challa as a distant figure on television, in that moment, they were just fellow scientists, so he couldn't really be wary of them.

Of course, it couldn't last. By Bruce's side, Loki's hand jerked. There was a flash of green. Tony startled. "What's up?"

"The Avengers are here. Well, most of them."

Bruce turned and saw that, indeed, most of the team had arrived. Steve and Maximoff were missing, but the others had come. Bruce hadn't even met all the new members of the team, but Tony had filled him in. Clint had predictably brought his wife and children. Vision hovered a little awkwardly at their side. Steve's friend Sam scanned the room with keen eyes. Scott Lang was already making a beeline for the food. And of course, there was Natasha, as beautiful as ever, her hair shining as bright red as the day he'd seen her last.

"Would you like to go, Dr. Banner?" Loki asked. "You are currently cloaked, and I can keep it up until you have left the room."

It was kind of Loki to offer, and Bruce's first instinct was to take him up on it. Tony was looking at him, obviously concerned. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Bruce remembered Natasha's tremulous voice over the coms and her tearful eyes. He'd left her behind just like he had left Tony. He understood why she had needed the Other Guy—he didn't blame her for that. But everything after that... He wasn't so sure how he felt about it.

He couldn't see them as having a future now, but maybe... Maybe they owed each other at least one conversation.

He shook his head. "I'd actually like to talk to Nat."

"You want me to pull her aside?" Tony asked. "I could do that, so you could see her in private."

Bruce nodded. "Yes. Thanks, Tony."

T'Challa guided Bruce away, while Tony went off, presumably to hunt down the Avengers. Bruce ended up in a side room, waiting and wondering and overall wishing he'd taken Loki up on his offer.

The door opened before Bruce could lose his nerve, and Natasha walked in. Tony was with her, but only briefly. He gave Bruce an encouraging nod and then took off, leaving Bruce alone with Natasha.

"Bruce. Hi."

"Hey, Natasha."

It was awkward and it hurt. Looking at her hurt, like picking at a wound that had never really healed.

Bruce cleared his throat. "So... Here we are. You look good."

"So do you. You haven't changed at all."

And of course she had noticed. Tony had probably noticed too, but he hadn't made any note of it. Maybe he'd realized just how uncomfortable Bruce felt about it. He had moments when he burst into hysterical chuckles because he was probably among the few people who hated the fact that they were apparently not aging—not at a normal pace, at least.

It could have been worse, he supposed. He could have aged, and the Hulk could have stayed the same. That was a nightmare Bruce didn't even want to dwell on.

"You shouldn't have left," Natasha said.

There was no bite or reprimand in her voice. If anything, the words held quiet loss and regret, reminding Bruce of a different conversation, so long ago, in Clint's farm house.

"No, I shouldn't have," he agreed. "But then, we all did things we shouldn't have done."

If he hadn't left... Would the team have splintered? Tony wouldn't have been alone, that much was sure. Then again, if he'd stayed, he might have just made things worse and put more pressure on Tony with his presence.

"I didn't have much choice anyway, what with the Hulk destroying a whole city and all."

"That wasn't your fault," Natasha said.

A spark of anger ignited in Bruce's chest, and Bruce quickly extinguished it before it could grow. "I suppose it wasn't. It was my replacement. Am I right?"

And yes, he still felt bitter about that—but how could he not be? He still remembered Maximoff reaching into his mind and forcing the Other Guy out. He'd just gotten the hang of the transformation, had been more at peace with it, learning to embrace it. It was still difficult for him to accept the damage the Other Guy did—he was, at heart, still a doctor, not a warrior like Thor—but he had been helping the team, his friends, and that meant something. And then she'd reached into him and wreaked havoc on his mind and forced him to turn into the feral beast he'd always feared he was. And once he'd left, his so-called friends had just taken her in, no questions asked.

Natasha made no apologies. "She was an asset. She was powerful, and grieving. It was either make her an Avenger or neutralize her as a threat, and Steve didn't have the heart to do that."

That didn't surprise Bruce at all, because intellectually, he'd always known that had been the logic, and Steve was like that. That didn't mean it didn't hurt. He turned away from her. "Of course he didn't." He sighed and pulled off his glasses, rubbing them on his shirt. "It doesn't matter anymore."

It was a lie—it mattered, of course it did—but Natasha didn't confront him about it. "Are you going to stay?"

"I don't know. I might. Tony needs me, and he's my friend." He hadn't been a very good friend for Tony in the past couple of years—maybe even before that, when Tony had been struggling with the aftermath of everything that had happened to him—but he could still fix that. "What about you? Tony says you'll be headed back to the States."

"Eventually. It's a waiting game now." Natasha sighed. "Bruce, I know I probably shouldn't say this, but do you think you could—"

Bruce shook his head, cutting her off. "Whatever Tony chooses when it comes to the team is none of my business. I wasn't around for any of it so I can't judge. I'd much rather stay out of it, thanks."

"Yeah, I figured. But I was actually hoping you'd talk to Steve."

"Steve?"

"He's... He's not doing so well. And once we go, it'll be even worse, I know. I think now that we did him a disservice by putting the weight of all the decisions on him. I should have known better. I did know better. I knew Steve's way wasn't going to end well."

"So then, why..."

"When I couldn't trust anything, I knew I could trust Steve. He was there when Clint and Phil weren't. And he wasn't wrong about Barnes. I've seen what the government can do to scapegoats. It's not pretty. And I've been treated like that too, had my own mind turned against me. I couldn't let it go."

Bruce nodded. He'd thought it was something like that. It was easy to trust Captain America, and so easy to distrust Tony Stark—even for someone like Nat. He'd seen it before, seen the beginning, with Ultron. The result wasn't that surprising.

Before he could say anything else, the door opened, and Tony burst in. Bruce took one look at Tony's face and felt the Hulk stir at the back of his mind. "What's wrong?"

"It's Barnes. He's free. It's not good. Looks like he's in Winter Soldier mode."

Bruce gaped. "What? How could that have happened?"

"Even Wakanda has its traitors. Anyway, I just wanted to give you a head's up. Stay here. We'll take care of it. Natasha, you keep Jolly Green company. You should be fine. We're handling it. But just in case, keep a low profile. Okay?"

Bruce nodded, a little dazed. Tony turned on his heel and was out of the room in mere moments. His eyes already had that glazed look that Tony had explained meant he was using Extremis in a very intense way. "Well, that isn't good."

"No," Natasha whispered, and there was something lost and sad in her voice, "it's not good at all."

****

  


In his heart, T'Challa had known it had all gone a little too smoothly. Things had been too quiet in Wakanda. The White Gorilla tribe hadn't been active much since his father's death, and he'd waited for their resurgence.

He'd never actually expected them to target James Barnes.

The security in the medical wing had somehow been sabotaged, and M'Baku the Man Ape had sneaked in. They'd have never caught it if not for Tony's armor patrolling the premises.

Tony had taken over controlling the armor from the distance, but it was always strenuous, so his eyes occasionally flickered blue behind his contacts. He flinched, and T'Challa surmised he—or rather, the armor—must have taken a blow.

T'Challa could have dispatched the guards or the Doras, but they were no match for M'Baku or the Winter Soldier. But he had a little advantage of his own—Tony's two teams.

The Avengers and the Fantastic Four already knew something was wrong. In fact, Franklin Richards, Susan Storm's son, had gotten restless even before Tony had pinpointed the problem. Not that T'Challa planned on involving the children in any way—whether or not they had powers.

There was no time for much planning at all, really, since there was only so long Tony could stall Barnes and M'Baku and prevent further casualties. Fortunately, they had a solution for that.

"I can get all of us there quickly," Loki offered. He'd set aside his female guise and had turned back in his usual form, but no one argued—not even the Avengers, who were still distrustful of Loki. T'Challa nodded and wrapped an arm around Tony. "Do it."

"Please hold onto each other and brace yourselves."

T'Challa had been through this process once before, when Tony had been dying after the Red Skull Rushmore incident. It was different today, but just as fast.

The medical wing was at the other side of the palace, and a trip that would have taken quite some time even for T'Challa happened instantaneously. The first thing T'Challa saw was the battle between Tony's armor, the Winter Soldier and M'Baku.

Barnes was at a significant disadvantage, that much was clear from the very beginning. He might be a super-soldier too, but he'd been in the ice for years, and it took some time for his muscles to adapt. Still, he was on his feet, attacking, working apparently out of sheer determination—or rather, out of the compulsion his programming forced on him.

It was fortunate that they'd never gotten the chance to install the new arm for Barnes, because it made him far less dangerous. Even so, he still went at the armor hard and fast.

Tony was actively trying not to hurt him, and that was in the end what distracted him. Barnes might have been unable to do much damage to the armor, but M'Baku could. His spear went straight through the suit, the sharp vibranium tip piercing the metal.

Tony made a noise and took a step back. Blood started seeping through his nose. T'Challa caught him before he could hit the ground.

"It's fine," Tony said weakly. "I'm fine."

"You're absolutely not fine," Barton said, his arrow already flying through the air. He was right. The connection Tony had kept with the armor while it had been speared through had caused Extremis to recoil against Tony. It wasn't as bad as past injuries, but it was still damage Tony should have never had to suffer.

M'Baku slapped away Barton's projectile before it could hit him. T'Challa didn't want to leave Tony, but this was his fight and M'Baku his opponent.

He never got the chance to strike—or even leave Tony's side. Thor's hammer flew, and this, M'Baku could not stop. "Brother, you handle the son of Barnes," Thor told Loki. "I will bring this villain to justice."

By the time Thor had finished the phrase, Loki was already behind Barnes. Barnes pivoted on his heel, trying to defend himself, but T'Challa had seen the two Asgardians fight, and he knew that in all likelihood, Barnes wouldn't have been a match for Loki even at his best.

It took less than a minute for Loki to subdue Barnes. Magic sparked from Loki's spear, immobilizing him. Barnes flailed, his eyes wide and his nostrils flaring. And then, Loki swept his hand over Barnes's eyes, and Barnes slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The battle between Thor and M'Baku was far more eventful. It spilled into the medical rooms, with both Thor and M'Baku doing a lot of damage. The other Avengers looked like they wanted to intervene, but they weren't sure how.

Loki didn't bother. As soon as his task was done, he returned to the group. "Let me see, Man of Iron."

Tony opened his mouth, obviously intending to protest, but T'Challa squeezed his shoulder and Tony quieted down. The damage might not be great, but it was there, and T'Challa didn't want his husband to suffer if there was another option.

By the time Loki's magic healed Tony, Thor had already pinned M'Baku to the floor using his apparently unliftable hammer. "Guess he's not worthy either," Tony mumbled, "whatever that means."

It was over—except for the part where it was not. A familiar looking book lay abandoned on the floor, and it was with a heavy heart that T'Challa acknowledged Barnes was no longer safe here.

****

This was not what Tony had hoped for when he'd planned on starting his honeymoon with T'Challa. Instead of retreating to their room for some kinky sex, they ended up in another part of the medical wing, watching over the still unconscious Barnes.

Bruce and Natasha had come in shortly after Thor and Loki had deposited M'Baku—the Man Ape, and really, what kind of self-appointed name was that?—in a secure cell. Just to be safe, Loki had knocked him out using his mojo and had also added some additional wards around the place.

Tony really wished Loki had done that sooner, but it was too late for regrets.

As it stood, they were all a pretty morose bunch. Clint had temporarily gone back to his family, and Sue and Reed were doing the same. Tony had asked them to keep an eye on the cats too, because Tony clearly didn't have time for that now. Shuri and the Doras had been dispatched to look for M'Baku's potential accomplices, and Thor and Loki had accompanied them. But most of the others were there, and they all had scowls on their faces, obviously aware of the seriousness of the situation. Not even Johnny Storm was cracking jokes, and Rhodey's expression reminded Tony of the day his friend had been told he might never walk again. As for Barnes, he looked small and sad without his metal arm, so Tony bent over his tablet and brought up the designs for the new limb. It was something to do at least, and it would keep him from thinking about the dead bodies M'Baku had left behind.

It didn't really work, and he still had to pay attention to the damn conversation taking place around him.

"What I want to know is how this guy got the damn book in the first place," Wilson said. "I thought we didn't have to worry about that anymore."

"I did destroy the original tome, that is true," T'Challa replied, "but there was always a chance that the book was not the only one of its kind. Sergeant Barnes believed that as well, which is why he insisted on undergoing the cryogenic procedure, despite his natural reluctance."

"This sucks so much," Lang mumbled. "I really thought we were fine here."

"Nothing is perfect, Mr. Lang, and unfortunately, I have enemies as well. I do not know how M'Baku procured the book, but as long as the triggers remain, there will always be a chance that this might happen."

"Did anyone tell Steve?" Natasha asked quietly. "He'd probably want to know, if he hasn't figured it out already."

"Vision went after him, I think," Rhodey offered. "He'll be able to sneak Steve in without drawing the eye much."

Tony shot Bruce a look. If Steve was coming in, Wanda would probably be joining them. Bruce saw him looking and shook his head. "It's fine. We have bigger things to worry about."

It wasn't fine at all, because the moment Wanda walked in, Bruce almost went green. Natasha had to drag him away and talk him down. Her Russian lullaby didn't work as smoothly as before, but it did have some effect since there were no Hulk rampages. Thank fuck for that much at least.

Steve seemed oblivious to all else except the motionless figure on the bed. He made a beeline for Barnes, his every muscle taut with tension. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"As unharmed as he can be, in these circumstances," T'Challa replied tightly. Tony could see the guilt and regret in his face. He'd made a commitment to protecting Barnes in his vulnerable state and he took this as a personal failure.

To his credit, Steve didn't throw around any accusations at T'Challa. He just took Barnes's hand and squeezed it. He also looked like someone had forced him to watch a whole squadron of puppies being run over.

Wilson gave Steve a look of obvious concern, but he didn't say anything. In the end, it was Carol who asked the question that weighed heavily on all of them. "Okay, so what happens now?"

"I am not ready to help Sergeant Barnes with his problem," Vision said. "I require more time with understanding the gem."

"I take it we could relocate," Wanda offered hesitantly. "He might be safer elsewhere."

Tony finally abandoned all pretense of working. "Or here's a thought. Maybe we should ask him. He's liable to wake up back to himself, right, Cap?"

Steve nodded. "That's what happened the last time."

"There you go." Tony let out a heavy breath. He was probably not the best person to say this, but for all of Tony's problems with Steve and his brainwashed bestie, not even he had the heart to kick a man when he was down. Well, not again, not now that he was clear-headed. "It's okay, Cap. He didn't get hurt and he didn't hurt anyone. We'll figure out a solution. There's clearly a security leak somewhere. This M'Baku guy doesn't strike me as the intelligent type, so he wouldn't have been able to procure the book on his own, or disable the security systems." After all, he had apparently not anticipated the fact that Barnes would not have his full capabilities immediately after waking up from the ice.

"Once he awakens, I will make sure to ask," T'Challa said, and there was something fierce and dark in his voice. "He will not get away with this trespass, that much I can promise."

Tony could think of absolutely nothing he could say to that. Really, this was one of those fucked up situations when he sort of knew what he had to do, but he couldn't quite get there—and it made him want to stab his eye out with a fork, because he was a fucking genius, he shouldn't have this problem. Once upon a time, a similar scenario had led him to making Pepper an omelet and awkwardly trying to coax her into a trip to Venice. Now, he just wanted to go back to building Barnes his fucking arm, or better yet, drag T'Challa to bed and not think about evil enemies for one goddamn day.

But of course, that would've been too much to ask, because someone actually did have an idea on what to say. "Uh," Scott Lang began eloquently. "This will probably sound strange, Mr. Stark, but why exactly were you hurt when the armor was stabbed?"

Shit. Tony sometimes forgot that Lang wasn't just a thief—he was an engineer and pretty much a genius in his own right. Of course he'd noticed the incident—not that the others would have missed it. The problem was that it would be difficult to provide a hand-wavey explanation to Lang, and he really, really didn't want to get into what Extremis actually did.

It looked like he might not have another choice—but at that exact moment, like something out of the movie, Barnes stirred on the bed. Tony braced himself, but predictably, Barnes's first word was, "Steve?"

He wondered why it just made Tony feel more awful about the whole thing.


	14. Winter's Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, I'm finally updating this. You will notice some changes in the tags. Yes, that was always the end game. I just originally intended the second pairing to be in the sequel-y thing, but it didn't happen that way, so...   
> Anyway, as always thank you for your kind comments and all the kudos! You guys rock.

The first thing Bucky Barnes became aware of was the heat. His hand was warm, sheltered, gripped tightly by a familiar palm. Bucky recognized it instantly.

The serum had changed many things about Steve, but his hands had stayed the same. They'd always been strong hands, with long fingers, fingers Bucky had always thought were meant to hold a paint brush, not a gun. He'd have known those hands, that gentle strength, anywhere.

Bucky cracked his eyes open and zeroed in on the familiar figure seated by his side. "Steve?"

"Yeah, Buck," Steve's voice trembled ever so slightly as he spoke. "It's me. I'm here."

It occurred to Bucky that had he awoken from the ice, it wouldn't have felt like this. A memory flashed through his mind, the doors of the cryo chamber hissing open, vicious words echoing in the darkness. He went rigid. Oh, God, no. "What did I do?"

"Nothing." Bucky gave Steve a look of disbelief, but Steve persisted, "It's true. You were stopped before you could get too far."

"He's right," a familiar voice said. Bucky blinked and turned, only to find himself looking at Tony Stark. "This time around, I had an armor. Although if it helps, for the most part, you were largely an annoyance. It's the guy who set you loose that was the real danger."

The last time Bucky had seen Stark, he'd been in a tremendous amount of pain after getting his arm blown off by the electrical discharge from the reactor. A part of him wanted to flinch away in anticipation of the punishment that was sure to follow.

But Steve was there, so Bucky didn't try to free himself. Besides, even if Bucky's memories of Siberia were a little vague, he did recall that Stark had helped them in the end, providing Steve with the means to free the others from their underwater prison.

It was still surprising to see Stark standing there, looking calm and composed, his eyes clear of grief and accusation. That day, it had been so different.

_Do you even remember them?_

_He killed my mom._

The memory burned bright through Bucky, the guilt as bright and fresh as the very first time he had remembered Howard and his wife. It was joined by another one, this one fresh, a memory of himself facing the Iron Man armor and a vibranium-tipped spear going straight through the suit. Tony Stark was right there, and clearly fine, but Bucky still flinched. Steve's hold on him tightened. "It's okay. You're fine. You're safe."

Bucky believed him—although his notion of safety was skewed these days. Safe from Stark, maybe, but not from himself, from his own mind and his past. "How long?"

"Almost four years now, Buck. A lot's changed."

Bucky nodded. Things tended to change a lot when he went under. He'd gotten used to that. It was sort of strange that Stark didn't look any older—if anything, he looked younger—but the other members of the team had aged somewhat. Romanov was nowhere to be seen, but Wilson had a few more strands of gray in his dark hair and Maximoff looked even more tired, more weary than before.

Steve was still frozen in time, and Bucky had no idea if that was comforting or not.

"Do you remembered what happened, Sergeant Barnes?" T'Challa asked.

Bucky had mixed feelings about T'Challa, but mostly, he was grateful. T'Challa had given Steve shelter when the idiot had burned all his bridges for Bucky's sake.

"I remember... There was a man. A big man, wearing a white fur. He knew the... the words."

"Do you remember what he asked you?"

"He said... I was supposed to make my way to the main settlement and kill anyone in my path."

Steve gaped. "But why? Why would anyone do that?"

"Sergeant Barnes is under the protection of the Wakandan crown," T'Challa said. "He is here through my will. Every single person who would have fallen to him—their blood would have been on my hands."

In a development Bucky did not expect, Stark looked away from Bucky and pulled T'Challa aside. It was a little surreal to watch Stark manhandle the king of Wakanda, and T'Challa go along with it like it was expected of him.

"We'll be right back, okay?" Stark threw over his shoulder. And just like that, they left the room.

"Wow," Bucky said. "It seems I missed more than I realized."

"You have no idea, man," Wilson said. "Today was their wedding day."

"Wedding day," Bucky repeated.

The idea sounded so unfamiliar to him. For a few seconds, he actually didn't understand what it meant, and although the disconnect vanished after those instants, the discomfort and confusion remained.

He had few memories of weddings. There had been a few incidents when the Winter Soldier had been dispatched to complete a mission at a wedding celebration, but the purpose of the party hadn't been relevant to him at the time. The splatter of blood looked odd and alien on the white of a wedding dress. White, so white... Like snow, snow settling down on the mountain peaks...

Steve's voice shattered Bucky's trance. "Bucky? Bucky."

Steve had obviously been trying to tell him something for a while now, since he looked concerned. Bucky shook his head, trying to clear it. "Sorry."

He didn't give any excuse. It wasn't like Steve and Wilson wouldn't see right through it. In the end, they let it go, and Bucky was grateful for it.

Of course, he almost wished they'd pressed him about it, because what came instead was an explanation he would have preferred not to hear. "A lot of stuff happened, Buck. The Skull... The Skull came back."

In fractured sentences, Steve told Bucky everything that had happened in the past years. Stark had apparently continued his work as a double agent, and only Steve and T'Challa had known about it, which had eventually led the feud between Stark and the Avengers to escalate. In the aftermath, Steve had been captured by the government, but had been freed by his team—only to find that one of the supporting figures of the Accords, Thaddeus Ross, had used his blood to turn himself into a Hulk-like creature. The creature had been subdued with Stark's help, but it hadn't ended there, since apparently, the Red Skull had been working behind the scenes all along. Steve's god-like team mate Thor had returned just in time to help stop him, with his not-quite evil brother in tow (which explained Bucky's own confusing memories of fighting the former invader of New York). And now, the entire world thought Steve was dead in an elaborate campaign to turn Captain America into a martyr, one which had been facilitated by the god of mischief's help.

"Tony says that the Accords will be modified, and eventually, I'll be able to make a miraculous return. I don't think he planned for anyone finding you here, though."

Bucky sighed. "Told you I was too much effort, Rogers."

"Don't say that. Look, Buck, we're close to figuring it out. Loki is teaching Vision how to control the gem, and once he's all set, he'll be able to help you, get rid of the triggers."

A jolt of shock went through Bucky at the words. He looked at Vision, who was very conspicuously silent. "And when is that liable to happen?"

"I do not know," the android offered. "It's a complex process, and fundamentally different from anything I've worked with before. But I am making progress."

Bucky hated himself for hoping, even for a moment. It couldn't be so easy, of course it couldn't. For all he knew, this might all be a ruse, false hope to keep him going, a white lie.

He didn't think Steve would lie to him, but then, Steve had done far more to protect him.

He couldn't say it, though, couldn't confront Steve about it. He had tried to, had told Steve countless times that the Bucky Steve had known was dead and gone. But the damn punk was so stubborn—too stubborn for his own good. Even now, Bucky didn't have the heart to stomp on that determination.

It was just as well that the conversation was interrupted when the door opened once again. Stark slid back into the room, followed by the Wakandan king and Thor and Loki.

"Hey, Frosty," Stark said. "You've got another visitor."

"Sergeant Barnes, it is good to see you awake," Thor offered. "I do not believe we've officially met. I am Thor and this is my brother Loki."

"How are you feeling?" Loki asked.

"Been better," Bucky replied. "But thanks. For not letting me go on a rampage and all."

"It is the least we could do to assist our shield-brothers," Thor replied. Bucky wondered if he always talked like that. He was so loud it made Bucky's head hurt.

But now that they were here... Something occurred to Bucky. He threw a glance toward Loki. "Your Highness, Steve said that you're teaching Vision how to heal me. Why? Can't you do it instead?"

That probably came out a little more abrupt than he'd have liked, but manners weren't his forte, not anymore. He hoped Loki wouldn't mind the question. After all, it was a reasonable one. Loki didn't have the gem like Vision did, but judging by the bits and pieces Steve had mentioned—likely Steve's attempt to prepare Bucky for the unavoidable meeting with Loki—and what little information the Winter Soldier had been given about the god of mischief before he'd gotten free of Hydra, Loki was very powerful in his own right. It had been laughably easy for him to knock Bucky out. That might not mean much, but it was something Bucky just had to pursue. The logic was simple. If someone knew enough about something to teach another person, they could obviously do it too.

Loki seemed taken aback, but not offended, and he actually replied, much to Bucky's relief. "Well, technically speaking, yes, I could do it. I simply did not consider it an option, since your friends do not trust me."

Now that the idea had taken root in Bucky's mind, it made more and more sense. "Doesn't matter what they think. It's my head."

But true to Loki's words, Steve was already protesting. "Bucky, you can't be—"

"Shut up, Steve," Bucky cut Steve off. "So what are we waiting for then?"

Loki grimaced. "Sergeant Barnes, it's not as easy as that. I haven't even looked at you... medically. I said I could do it, in theory, but I can't know for sure until I actually check."

"Well, no time like the present." Bucky sort of beckoned Loki forward, which was weird and awkward since Steve was still holding his one remaining hand and the metal arm hadn't been replaced. Loki took it in stride. He sat on the bed on Bucky's other side.

"Just close your eyes and try to relax."

Bucky tried to do as he was told, but it was easier said than done. He might be pretending he was all right, but just the knowledge that someone would be messing around in his head made him break out in cold sweat. He focused on the warmth of Steve's hand and the sound of his heartbeat and the familiarity of his presence. He wasn't with Hydra. He was in Wakanda, with Steve and the Avengers. He wasn't the Winter Soldier anymore. He was Barnes, James Buchanan, Sergeant, ID number 32557038.

Even with all that, he still jumped slightly when Loki leaned in closer and touched his forehead. Loki's hands were cold, but not clammy. He smelled strange, like leather and herbs and snow, and something else, something Bucky couldn't quite identify. It was wintery, but not like the chill of cryo or even the few winters he remembered from Brooklyn, when he'd spent half the time slaving his ass off in the docks and the other worrying Steve might cough out his lungs and one day, Bucky would wake up to find him stiff and lifeless in the small bed in their shared room. It was cold, but like the first days of spring.

Bucky relaxed. Not Hydra.

He felt the touch on his mind, but it was barely there, to the point where Bucky almost thought he was imagining it because he was actually looking for it. The Hydra wipes had never been like this.

But then, Loki was... magical? Was that right? Bucky didn't actually know what kind of abilities Loki had, or rather, where they came from. And yet, as unwise as it was to leave his shattered mind at the mercy of an unknown alien, he couldn't help but feel this was his last chance.

Finally, Loki pulled away. Bucky opened his eyes. He didn't feel any different, but then, this had supposedly been just a glimpse."Well?"

The look on Loki's face wasn't promising. "The geas on you is very complex. The exact level of compulsion required to brand those words into your consciousness goes very deep. I can do it, but... It will hurt. A lot."

Bucky opened his mouth to reply, but Loki wasn't done yet. "The pain will be excruciating, and the process is liable to take quite some time. I'm afraid there is very little I can do to make it more comfortable for you. I want you to understand this, Sergeant Barnes. This is an experience I would wish only on my worst enemy, and that is saying a lot."

"Bucky, we can wait," Steve pleaded. "We'll find another solution. There's no reason to rush into this."

"It is your choice, Sergeant Barnes," Loki offered. "But please keep one thing in mind. Once I begin, I cannot stop, because should I do so, the geas will simply snap back into place, and it will even harder to make a second attempt. If we commit to this, there is no turning back. The Captain is right. There is no need to rush. You can take your time and at least think about it. I'm not going anywhere."

Bucky considered his next words carefully. He'd never spoken about it, not even to Steve, but he needed... He needed to make them understand.

"I don't remember hitting the ground, losing my arm, but I do remember the moment they cut off what was left of it. They made me into this... this thing. I can't be... I can't bear to breathe any longer. I can't sleep because I'm afraid that when I open my eyes, I'll find out I killed somebody else. If you can do it, I don't care how much it hurts. Pull it out of me. I can take anything, as long as it's gone."

He hadn't said something so elaborate in ages, and it made him feel apprehensive. He didn't look at Steve, not having the courage to see the horror on his best friend's face. But most everyone he could see in the room was pale and grim-faced. Bucky wondered if he should be happy they cared, or if it just made things more difficult.

Whatever the case, the words finally convinced Loki of Bucky's determination. He got up and threw a look toward Thor. He said something in a language Bucky didn't understand. Thor's breath caught, but he nodded and replied in the same tongue.

Finally, Loki looked at Bucky and Steve again. "I will need for everyone to clear the room. You too, Captain Rogers."

Steve was already shaking his head. "No. I'm not leaving him."

"I cannot do this with you here," Loki insisted. "I understand your concern, but it is simply not possible."

"Steve, I want this," Bucky said. "I'm not afraid of pain—but I can't take having my own mind as enemy. Please."

And then Wilson stepped up and said, "Look I hate to be that guy, but... I'm not sure you're in the right state to make that kind of call about your own health."

"Well, he's not wrong," Stark mumbled. "I guess in the end it's actually up to Cap. Cap, you have the power of attorney for your bestie here?"

Bucky couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yes, he was unstable, but right now, he was in charge of his own mind. He squeezed Steve's hand tighter, desperate now. "Steve, please. You know me. This is my choice. Don't take this from me."

Steve's shoulders slumped. Bucky had not thought Steve could look more broken-hearted and helpless than the day Bucky had willingly gone back into cryo, but he did. "All right. If you're sure."

His voice sounded hoarse and raw, and Bucky hated himself for putting Steve through this, but it couldn't be helped. "I'm sure."

Steve nodded and finally dragged himself to his feet. "I'll be right outside."

With one last look toward Bucky, Steve clenched his fists and stalked out. Everyone trailed after him. Stark was the last one in the room—other than Loki and Bucky, of course. "Good luck, Reindeer Games, Manchurian Candidate."

And with that, he left as well. Loki waved a hand and the door closed with a sharp click.

For a few moments, the room was silent. Loki didn't immediately look at Bucky. Bucky fidgeted on the bed, his anxiety rising.

He would have felt embarrassed at betraying his nervousness, but the gesture drew Loki's eyes back to him. "I'm not sure how much you know about me, Sergeant Barnes, but I too have had ample experience with my mind not being my own. I am a god, but there are beings out there with power beyond imagining. I will not bore you with the details, but I will tell you this. I will not let go of you. You will scream and you will beg for death and you will plead for me to stop, but I will not let go of you. I will burn this thing out of you if it is the last thing I do."

The intensity of the words should have been frightening, but Bucky understood their underlying meaning. It was the last chance—his final "you can still back out". It wasn't a threat either, or an empty way to attempt to convince Bucky to change his mind. It was plain and simple truth.

Bucky nodded. "Thank you."

Loki's smile was sharp and sad. "Don't thank me yet. You might change your mind before this is over."

And then, Loki pressed his hands to Bucky's forehead again—and Bucky screamed.


End file.
